Nigerian public affairs analyst, Joe Femi Dagunro, has criticised the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) for failing to fulfil its integration promises, despite being established before the European Union.
During a media interview, Dagunro lamented the bloc’s slow pace in achieving economic and political integration across the region, noting that many of its foundational goals remain largely theoretical and poorly implemented.
“ECOWAS was formed even before the European Union, but it has not grown past a certain stage,” he said. “We still don’t have a regional currency, and there is no seamless passage across member states as it should be.”
Dagunro recounted his experience at the Seme border, a key Nigeria-Benin Republic crossing, where bureaucratic bottlenecks undermined the ideals of free movement under the ECOWAS protocol.
“Why do I still need to explain myself at the border when ECOWAS promises free movement? I’ve travelled to over 45 African countries, and the same problems persist — theory without execution,” he said.The regional bloc, formed in 1975 to promote economic integration and collective self-sufficiency among member states, has often been criticised for lacking strong institutional enforcement of its policies. Dagunro echoed this sentiment, pointing out that declarations made by ECOWAS are rarely followed up with action.
“ECOWAS will say something, but it is not enough. Nothing gets enforced. That’s part of the problem,” he stated. “The influence of ECOWAS should be more powerful than we are currently seeing.”He drew comparisons with the European Union, which, despite internal tensions, has managed to enforce regional policies, maintain a shared currency, and facilitate efficient cross-border operations.
“If ECOWAS had consolidated its goals, we wouldn’t be worrying about dollars or euros. We could have built our trade on a strong regional currency,” Dagunro said.
He also called attention to the broader challenges affecting the African Union, saying the continent continues to underutilise its abundant human and natural resources.
“We have the resources — human and natural — and that is what should drive our regional integration. But we are not tapping into these opportunities because there is no consistency,” he said.
While acknowledging that no single leader can solve the bloc’s long-standing issues overnight, Dagunro stressed the need for continuity and commitment from successive governments across the region“Each president will come in, do their bit and leave. But we need to move beyond words and implement the policies we have spent decades discussing,” he added.
Dagunro’s remarks are coming as Nigeria’s president Bola Tinubu’s tenure comes to an end effectively handing over to Sierra Leone’s president Julius Maada Bio
GUARDIAN
