scholarly journals Sub-regional Security Challenge: ECOWAS and the War on Terrorism in West Africa

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 94-112 ◽  
Author(s):  
Olajide O. Akanji
Keyword(s):  
West Africa ◽  
West African ◽  
Regional Security ◽  
Political Environment ◽  
War On Terrorism ◽  
Economic Community ◽  
Public And Private ◽  
Multilateral Institutions ◽  
Security Challenge

In recent years, the West African sub-region has been faced with a wave of terrorism, resulting in the death of hundreds of people, destruction of public and private properties, and the displacement of millions. In response, states and multilateral institutions within and outside the sub-region have developed and introduced different mechanisms to address the issue. This article, however, investigates the experience of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) in counterterrorism in West Africa. The idea is not to go over the role of ECOWAS with a fine-tooth comb but to focus attention on the themes that have emanated from its different efforts to address the problem. Specifically, it examines the kind of issues and challenges ECOWAS has faced in the current international political environment and the factors that influenced its ability to respond effectively to these issues and challenges.

scholarly journals Promoting research to improve maternal, neonatal, infant and adolescent health in West Africa: the role of the West African Health Organisation

2017 ◽  
Vol 15 (S1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Issiaka Sombie ◽  
Aissa Bouwayé ◽  
Yves Mongbo ◽  
Namoudou Keita ◽  
Virgil Lokossou ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
West Africa ◽  
Adolescent Health ◽  
West African ◽  
The West ◽  
African Health

The ECOMOG Initiative in Liberia: A Liberian Perspective

1993 ◽  
Vol 21 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 74-83
Author(s):  
S. Byron Tarr
Keyword(s):  
Civil War ◽  
West African ◽  
Security System ◽  
Economic Community ◽  
Internal Conflicts ◽  
Cooperative Security ◽  
The Usa ◽  
Monitoring Group ◽  
Inter State

This is a Liberian perspective on the unique initiative by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) to resolve the Liberian conflict by organizing and deploying a Peace Monitoring Group in Liberia. It considers whether ECOWAS’ initiative can become a self-reliant security system that can end a civil war and institutionalize deterrence to subregional inter-state and internal conflicts. Can this self-generated, West African initiative set the stage for democratization? Is the initiative the start of an inter-African cooperative security system? Is the model of Nigerian leadership a harbinger of a regional hegemony in the making? Is the modest role of the USA constructive in resolving the conflict, in light of the fact that Liberia is a country with which the USA has had an historic relationship?

scholarly journals Ebola haemorrhagic fever in africa: a necessary highlight

2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 1
Author(s):  
Samuel Adu-Gyamfi
Keyword(s):  
Health Professionals ◽  
International Community ◽  
West African ◽  
Haemorrhagic Fever ◽  
Economic Community ◽  
Border Health ◽  
The West ◽  
Global Threat ◽  
Scientific Facts

<p><span lang="EN-GB">The purpose of this commentary is to re-evaluate the historic and scientific facts on Ebola haemorrhagic fever and the role of the international community, especially Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) in stemming the tide. It rehashes the argument on causes and prevention and draws attention of readers to emphasize the need for establishment of airport, sea port and border health posts with well drilled and efficient health professionals to be able to test, detect and quarantine persons with Ebola and treat them to prevent the spread of the disease from infected persons to primary or first contacts and secondary contacts. Significantly, countries in the West African sub-region are alarmed by the potential spread of the disease to countries that have hitherto been free of the disease. The potential global threat of the disease has been analysed and measures to be taken by countries within the West-African sub-region have been emphasized. This notwithstanding, does the declaration of countries as Ebola-free suggest the last of it?</span></p>

English in West Africa

2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ulrike Gut
Keyword(s):  
West Africa ◽  
Sierra Leone ◽  
Structural Properties ◽  
West African ◽  
The Other ◽  
African Countries ◽  
The West ◽  
Current Role ◽  
British Colonization

This chapter describes the history, role, and structural properties of English in the West African countries the Gambia, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Ghana, Nigeria, the anglophone part of Cameroon, and the island of Saint Helena. It provides an overview of the historical phases of trading contact, British colonization and missionary activities and describes the current role of English in these multilingual countries. Further, it outlines the commonalities and differences in the vocabulary, phonology, morphology, and syntax of the varieties of English spoken in anglophone West Africa. It shows that Liberian Settler English and Saint Helenian English have distinct phonological and morphosyntactic features compared to the other West African Englishes. While some phonological areal features shared by several West African Englishes can be identified, an areal profile does not seem to exist on the level of morphosyntax.

Economic Community of West African States, Regional security and the Implementation of Humanitarian Intervention and the Responsibility to Protect: Rhetoric or Reality?

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 162-183
Author(s):  
Peter Arthur
Keyword(s):  
Humanitarian Intervention ◽  
West African ◽  
Responsibility To Protect ◽  
Regional Security ◽  
The Political ◽  
Economic Community ◽  
Political Will ◽  
Political Landscape ◽  
Peace And Security ◽  
Conflicting Interests

The last 25 years have seen Economic Community of West African States, through the use of various norms, structures and protocols, make the promotion of security and the implementation of humanitarian intervention and the responsibility to protect (R2P) important aspects of the political landscape in the sub-region. The article argues that despite the great strides made by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) in the implementation of R2P, there are not only challenges (inadequate funds available for peace and security missions, conflicting interests and lack of agreement, poor co-ordination, inadequate human and logistics capacity) with its application in the sub-region, but also concerns about its future. Thus, to promote security and realise the goals of implementing humanitarian intervention and R2P in the ECOWAS sub-region, not only should the actors involved have the requisite capacity but also political will and commitment, citizen awareness, and co-operation among ECOWAS member-states and with the international community should remain crucial to the process.

The Politics of West African Economic Co-operation: C.E.A.O. and E.C.O.W.A.S.

1983 ◽  
Vol 21 (4) ◽  
pp. 605-623 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel C. Bach
Keyword(s):  
West Africa ◽  
West African ◽  
African Unity ◽  
Economic Community

Since the establishment of the Economic Community of West African States in 1975, its acronym has become well known, even though ‘E.C.O.W.A.S.’ still means little more than a synonym for ‘West Africa’ and a symbolic tribute to the ideals of African unity. The Community has certainly witnessed a growth of its bureaucracy and institutions, but the limited co-operation actually achieved has been based on strengthening links which were developed in the region since the early 1960s rather than on the transfer of state prerogatives to Community organs on specific issues.

Bureaucrats and the Senegalese Political Process

1971 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
pp. 543-559 ◽  
Author(s):  
'Ladipo Adamolekun
Keyword(s):  
Political Parties ◽  
West Africa ◽  
Political Process ◽  
West African ◽  
Military Rule ◽  
African Countries ◽  
Military Regimes ◽  
The Military

While independence in West Africa focused academic attention on political parties, the proliferation of military régimes in the late 1960s– by 1970, seven West African countries had experienced military rule — brought two other institutions into prominence: the military and civil bureaucracies. This article seeks to throw some light on the place of the civil bureaucracy in Senegal through a study of the role of bureaucrats in the country's political process.

The Mano River Union

1982 ◽  
Vol 20 (4) ◽  
pp. 613-628 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter Robson
Keyword(s):  
International Economic ◽  
West Africa ◽  
Economic Integration ◽  
Monetary Union ◽  
West African ◽  
Economic And Monetary Union ◽  
Economic Community

Of the four current schemes for international economic integration in West Africa, the operation of the Communauté économique de l'Afrique de l'Ouest has been recently reviewed, the Economic Community of West African States continues to be widely discussed, while the agreement of the Presidents of Senegal and Gambia in Dakar on 17 December 1981 to establish a Senegambian Confederation, and to develop an economic and monetary union between the two countries, is as yet in its formative stages. This article examines the structure, progress, and potential of the Mano River Union (M.R.U.) about which little has been published.

The Politics and Diplomacy of Peacekeeping in West Africa: The Ecowas Operation in Liberia

1995 ◽  
Vol 33 (4) ◽  
pp. 569-593 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ademola Adeleke
Keyword(s):  
Civil War ◽  
West Africa ◽  
Burkina Faso ◽  
Sierra Leone ◽  
West African ◽  
Cape Verde ◽  
The Gambia ◽  
Economic Community ◽  
Political Issues ◽  
Guinea Bissau

TheEconomic Community of West African States (Ecowas) was established in May 1975 as an organisation to promote the development of the sub-region, and for 15 years did not deviate from this mandate. The 16 member-states – Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, Côte d'Ivoire, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Togo – restricted their interactions to purely economic matters and ran shy of political issues confronting West Africa. This tradition changed in 1990 when Ecowas decided to intervene in the civil war which had broken out in Liberia. Its strategy to resolve the conflict followed two parallel but mutually interactive channels — making and enforcing peace. The former involved negotiations and arbitration; the latter the deployment in August 1990 of a 3,000 strong multinational force to supervise a cease-fire.

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