Assessing Political and Economic Barriers to Regional Integration in ECOWAS

  • Wasiu Raji The Institute of International Trade and Development, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Port Harcourt, Rivers State Nigeria.
  • Mojekwu Ogechukwu Rita Department of Finance and Banking, Faculty of Management Sciences, University of Port Harcourt, Rivers State Nigeria.
  • Sylvester Udeorah The Institute of International Trade and Development, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Port Harcourt, Rivers State Nigeria.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.14628469
Keywords: ECOWAS, regional integration, political instability, economic disparities, institutional capacity, trade barriers, currency harmonization, infrastructure development, governance, sustainable development, policy recommendations, West Africa

Abstract

This paper looks into the political, economic, and institutional challenges of regional integration facing the Economic Community of West African States through a systematic literature review. Despite considerable efforts in fostering economic cooperation, there are various obstacles that ECOWAS still faces, including political instability, diversity of political systems, economic disparities, inadequate institutional capacity, trade barriers, lack of infrastructure, and different currencies. The said elements do make harmonization of policies and effective implementation of regional agreements quite complicated. Guided by theories on institutionalism, dependency theory, and regionalism, this study reviewed current integration policies on their effectiveness and made suggestions on how challenges can be overcome through certain strategies. Recommendations have ranged from strengthening of institutional frameworks to political stability and good governance, economic policy harmonization, addressing of infrastructure gaps, facilitating currency unification, and inclusive development. By embracing them, ECOWAS would have ensured closer regional integration and sustainable development while exploiting opportunities offered by the international community for growth and prosperity in the sub-region.

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Published
2025-01-10
How to Cite
Raji, W., Ogechukwu Rita, M., & Udeorah, S. (2025). Assessing Political and Economic Barriers to Regional Integration in ECOWAS. GPH-International Journal of Social Science and Humanities Research, 8(01), 80-91. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.14628469
Issue
Vol 8 No 01 (2025): GPH-International Journal of Social Science and Humanities Research
Section
Articles
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