The immediate aftermath of the Second World War, followed by the attainment of independence (as in the case of the then colonized African nations), saw the emergence of a multitude of international institutions; some global and some regional. Regional bodies like the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), constitute supplementary groupings that seek to address issues that closely affect their member states.

As in the case of just a handful, regional bodies tend to be more effective than those with a global base. This, of course, is so because while regional bodies, thanks to proximity, can meet and share information on a more regular basis, the same thing might not be said for those with global membership. And also, the close cooperation that exists between the constituting member states of these regional bodies is made possible by the composition of the socio-economic and cultural background of their people.

The 34th Ordinary Session of the Authority of Heads of States and Governments of ECOWAS ended in the Nigerian capital of Abuja, last Monday. And if reports coming from there are anything to go by, then its custodians need warming up; because it has not been living up to expectation. Dozens of protocols have been conceived, yet the body has virtually nothing to point at. Non-implementation of these protocols, as in the words of the host president, had profoundly impacted on the efforts at promoting the collective growth and development of the respective national economies of member states.

With a mission statement encompassing a wide-ranging domain, the body’s goal embraces economic integration as a top priority. This is particularly important in that you cannot achieve any meaningful economic integration in the absence of a binding, credible relationship.

This is based on the common argument that it is only when we share a common identity that some level of trust can be established to warrant interaction among our people in the region. Any tangible economic integration therefore demands, as a prerequisite, some political ties between the parties concerned. For instance, we will need a closer cooperation between the respective customs and security institutions of member countries to ease the burden innocent citizens go through. Our agricultural and natural resource base are so diverse that a well coordinated trade relation will put the region at an advantage over rival regional bodies.

Issues of security and illegal migration, also demand that the countries that make up ECOWAS quicken integration and solidify agreements that commit them to maintaining peace. One of the reasons for Africa’s persistent underdevelopment is that we have spent a great deal of time, since independence, fighting amongst ourselves.

It is imperative, therefore, that ECOWAS looks at issues like these and identify ways of fixing them. All this will warrant collaboration in not only providing information, but in conceiving ideas that could help engage those youths who venture onto the seas.