Title: Deepening regional integration and organising world trade: the limits of ECOWAS

Authors: Oyeniyi O. Abe

Addresses: Oyeniyi Abe, Room CO2, College of Law, Afe Babalola University, P.M.B 5454, Ado-Ekiti, Ekiti State, Nigeria

Abstract: This article explores the policy foundations behind regional trade in Sub-Saharan Africa with particular focus on West Africa and its application in practice. It further explores the important phenomenon such regional trade agreements denotes. This work therefore constructively criticises the relevance of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and questions its effect on the primacy of the multilateral trading system established under the WTO. The article outlines the essential characteristics of the ECOWAS Treaty and its attendant exemplary success to the region. In doing this, the scope, coverage and purpose of the agreement are analysed to see if it is inconformity with global trends in international trade, especially the dictates of the WTO. The thematic strand that runs through this work is the hypothetical question whether this Treaty is a building block or stumbling block for the WTO.

Keywords: World Trade Organization; WTO; Economic Community of West African States; ECOWAS; international trade; regional trade agreements; West Africa; multilateral trading systems; Sub-Saharan Africa; SSA.

DOI: 10.1504/IJPLAP.2014.057871

International Journal of Public Law and Policy, 2014 Vol.4 No.1, pp.71 - 87

Published online: 21 Nov 2014 *

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