ECOWAS, Insecurity in West Africa and the ECOWAS Conflict Prevention Framework

Abstract

The Economic Community of West African State (ECOWAS) has encountered security challenges that have threatened to scuttle its mandate to provide good quality life for its people through the process of regional cooperation and integration. The sub-regional organization has made several attempts to manage the challenges by means of various interventions but modest successes therefore have been undermined by threats that are not amenable to military solutions yet with equally, if not more devastating consequences. This paper examine the frameworks that ECOWAS has adopted to tackle the security challenges and concluded that the ECOWAS conflict prevention framework which particularly addresses human security issues, offers the best panacea for ECOWAS to emerge from imbroglio to pursue its original objective. Measure to ensure its implementation from the ends of the ECOWAS Commission and civil society were therefore recommended.