Ecowas And Security Management In West Africa

This paper examines the role of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) in managing peace and security in the West African sub-region. It finds that ECOWAS was primarily created to foster economic cooperation and progress among its member states, but the organization gradually metamorphosed into a security apparatus following the widespread upsurge of violent conflicts within the West-African sub-region, which was perceived as inimical to the attainment of its economic goal. The paper submits that ECOWAS has played and is still playing commendable role in security management and conflict prevention in West-Africa, albeit its effectiveness in this regard is still being impaired by a multiplicity of factors. The study thus concludes by suggesting a set of effective measures that need to be taken towards addressing these challenges in order to revamp and revitalize ECOWAS to play a more formidable role in relation to security management and conflict prevention in West Africa. The study is basically theoretical and qualitative by design. Data used for the study were derived from secondary sources, and were analyzed using the descriptive method of qualitative data analysis and objective argument. These methods were found appropriate for the study as they enhanced the attainment of its objective.