West Africa

Coordinates: 12°N 3°E / 12°N 3°E / 12; 3
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
(Redirected from
West African
)
For the region of the African Union, see Regions of the African Union § West.

West Africa
3rd)[1][2]
381,981,000 (female: 189,672,000; male: 192,309,000 (2017 est.[3])
Density49.2/km2 (127.5/sq mi)
DemonymWest African
Countries
Sovereign states (16)
Dependencies 
Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS; established 1975)
Total GDP (PPP)US$2.091 trillion (2022) (23rd)[4]
GDP (PPP) per capita$2,500 (2013)[5]
Total GDP (nominal)$810 billion (2023)[6][7]
Total GDP (nominal) per capita$1,937 (2023)[6]
Currency
List
Largest cities
List
UN M.49 code
011 – West Africa
202 – Sub-Saharan Africa
002 – Africa
001 – World

West Africa or Western Africa is the westernmost region of

United Kingdom Overseas Territory).[8][9] The population of West Africa is estimated at 419 million[1][2] people as of 2021, and at 381,981,000 as of 2017, of which 189,672,000 were female and 192,309,000 male.[3] The region is demographically[10] and economically[11]
one of the fastest growing on the African continent.

Early history in West Africa included a number of prominent regional powers that dominated different parts of both the coastal and internal trade networks, such as the

extractive goods, including labor-intensive agricultural crops like cocoa and coffee, forestry products like tropical timber, and mineral resources like gold. Since independence, many West African countries, like Ivory Coast, Ghana, Nigeria and Senegal
, have played important roles in the regional and global economies.

West Africa has a rich ecology, with strong biodiversity and several distinct regions. The area's climate and ecology are heavily influenced by the dry Sahara to the north and east, which provides dry winds during the Harmattan, as well as the Atlantic Ocean to the south and west, which provides seasonal monsoons. This mixture of climates gives West Africa a rich array of biomes, from biodiversity-rich tropical forests to drylands supporting rare and endangered fauna such as pangolins, rhinoceros, and elephants. Because of the pressure for economic development, many of these ecologies are threatened by processes like deforestation, biodiversity loss, overfishing, pollution from mining, plastics and other industries, and extreme changes resulting from climate change in West Africa.

History

Main article: History of West Africa
Further information:
List of kingdoms in pre-colonial Africa § West Africa

The history of West Africa can be divided into five major periods: first, its prehistory, in which the first human settlers arrived, developed agriculture, and made contact with peoples to the north; the second, the Iron Age empires that consolidated both intra-Africa, and extra-Africa trade, and developed centralized states; third, major polities flourished, which would undergo an extensive history of contact with non-Africans; fourth, the colonial period, in which Great Britain and France controlled nearly the entire region; and fifth, the post-independence era, in which the current nations were formed.

Prehistory

Main article: Prehistoric West Africa § Early Stone Age 2

West African populations were considerably mobile and interacted with one another throughout the

Late Stone Age peoples, who migrated into West Africa[16] as an increase in humid conditions resulted in the subsequent expansion of the West African forest.[17] West African hunter-gatherers occupied western Central Africa (e.g., Shum Laka) earlier than 32,000 BP,[14] dwelled throughout coastal West Africa by 12,000 BP,[18] and migrated northward between 12,000 BP and 8000 BP as far as Mali, Burkina Faso,[18] and Mauritania.[19]

During the

Central African hunter-gatherers.[18]

sub-Saharan
West Africa.

Empires

Main article: History of West Africa § Iron Age
Further information: History of Africa § West Africa, History of Africa § West Africa 2, and Blacksmiths of western Africa
See also: Jews of Bilad el-Sudan
Mansa Musa depicted holding a gold nugget from a 1395 map of Africa and Europe

The development of the region's economy allowed more centralized states and civilizations to form, beginning with

Almoravid
invaders in 1052.

Three great kingdoms were identified in Bilad al-Sudan by the ninth century. They included Ghana,

Kanem.[41]

The

Askia Mohammed
.

13th-century Africa – Map of the main trade routes and states, kingdoms and empires.

Meanwhile, south of the Sudan, strong city-states arose in

Ife rose to prominence around the 12th century. Further east, Oyo arose as the dominant Yoruba state and the Aro Confederacy as a dominant Igbo
state in modern-day Nigeria.

The Kingdom of Nri was a West African medieval state in present-day southeastern Nigeria and a subgroup of the Igbo people. The Kingdom of Nri was unusual in the history of world government in that its leader exercised no military power over his subjects. The kingdom existed as a sphere of religious and political influence over a third of Igboland and was administered by a priest-king called as an

Eze Nri
. The Eze Nri managed trade and diplomacy on behalf of the Nri people and possessed divine authority in religious matters.

The

Republic of Benin
to the west.

The Benin Empire was a

Description of Africa (1668) ". Its craft was the most adored and treasured bronze casting in the history of Africa. It was annexed by the British Empire
in 1897 during the invasion and scramble of Africa.

European contact and enslavement

Main article: Atlantic slave trade
West Africa c. 1875

Portuguese traders began establishing settlements along the coast in 1445, followed by the

Bambara Empire and Dahomey, whose economic activities include but not limited to exchanging slaves for European firearms.[43]

Colonialism

Further information: Colonisation of Africa
French in West Africa c. 1913

In the early 19th century, a series of Fulani reformist

Umar Tall's Toucouleur Empire
, which briefly conquered much of modern-day Mali.

However, the

Ashanti queen Yaa Asantewaa
in 1902, most West African military resistance to colonial rule resulted in failure.

Part of the West-African regions underwent an increase in the numeracy level throughout the 19th century. The reason for such a growth was predetermined by a number of factors. Namely, the peanut production and trade, which was boosted by the demand of the colonial states. Importantly, the rise of the numeracy was higher in the regions which were less hierarchical and had less dependent from the slavery trade (e.g. Sine and Salum). Whereas areas with the opposite trends illustrated opposite tendencies (e.g. central and northern Senegal). Those patterns were further even more stimulated with the French colonial campaign.[44]

Britain controlled the Gambia, Sierra Leone, Ghana, and Nigeria throughout the colonial era, while France unified Senegal, Guinea, Mali, Burkina Faso, Benin, Ivory Coast, and Niger into

First World War due to the Treaty of Versailles. Only Liberia
retained its independence, at the price of major territorial concessions.

Postcolonial era

Further information: Decolonisation of Africa, Postcolonial Africa § West Africa, and Neocolonialism
See also: Neocolonialism § Françafrique, West African CFA franc, and Status of forces agreement

Following World War II, nationalist movements arose across West Africa. In 1957, Ghana, under Kwame Nkrumah, became the first West African colony to achieve its independence, followed the next year by France's colonies (Guinea in 1958 under the leadership of President Ahmed Sekou Touré); by 1974, West Africa's nations were entirely autonomous.

Since independence, many West African nations have been submerged under political instability, with notable civil wars in Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Liberia, and Ivory Coast, and a succession of military coups in Ghana and Burkina Faso.

Since the end of colonialism, the region has been the stage for some brutal conflicts, including:

Geopolitical division

Geopolitical States of West Africa;

United Kingdom Overseas Territory of Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha in the south Atlantic Ocean.[8]

Area

In the

Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), in modern times it is often considered, especially in Africa, as now part of western North Africa.[47][48][49][50][51][52]

List of countries

Cities

Major and principal cities in West Africa include, geographically eastward:

Environment

Nature

A rhinoceros in Bandia Nature Reserve, Senegal
Yankari National Park
, Nigeria

Before European colonisation, West African countries such as those from the Senegambia region (Senegal and the Gambia) used to have a diverse wildlife including lions, hippopotamus, elephants, antelopes, leopards etc.[53] However, during colonization, the European colonizers such as the French and British killed most of the wildlife particularly the lions, using their body parts as trophies. By the turn of the 20th century, the Senegambia region had lost most of its lion population and other exotic animals due to poaching. By the 1930s, the Gambian elephant population became extinct. That phenomenon was not only limited to the Senegambia region but affected much of West Africa as the region lost much of its "natural resources once tied so closely to its cultural identity. Poaching has stolen most of its wildlife." The British issued poaching licenses, and although they would later try to reverse the damage that had been done by attempting to preserve what was left of the local wildlife, but by that time, it was too late.[54][55] During the 1930s, the elephant population in the Gold Coast was about 300, and Sierra Leone between 500 and 600. Although a small number of elephants survived in Nigeria, hunting, agricultural expansion and clearing of forest in that country drastically affected its wildlife population, particularly elephants.[55]

Despite the historical damage that has been done to the region's wildlife populations, there are still some protected nature reserves within the region. Some of these include:

  • The Bandia Nature Reserve in Senegal (French: Réserve de Bandia), animal life includes:
    tortoises. apes and a variety of exotic birds.[56]
  • The
    bushbuck and hippopotamus.[57]
  1. The
    Diana monkey, and other primates.[58]
  • The Mole National Park is Ghana's biggest wildlife refuge. It is home to over 83 mammal species including about 800 resident elephants, buffalo, hippos, and warthogs[59][60] as well as various fauna and flora.

West Africa is also home to several

plant life. Some baobab trees are several centuries old and form part of the local folklore, for example, a mythical baobab tree named Ngoye njuli in Senegal which is regarded as a sacred site by the Serer. The tree itself is rather majestic and looks like a huge phallus and a deformed animal or thing is protruding from it. It is said to be the dwelling place of a pangool. Ngoye njuli is protected by the Senegalese authorities and attracts visitors. In West Africa, as in other parts of Africa where the baobab tree is found, the leaves are mixed with couscous and eaten, the bark of the tree is used to make ropes, and the fruit and seeds used for drinks and oils.[54][61][62]

Deforestation in Nigeria.

Deforestation

Further information: Deforestation in Nigeria

West Africa is greatly affected by deforestation and has one of worst deforestation rate.[63] Even "the beloved baobab tree" which is viewed as sacred by some West African cultures are under threat due to climate change, urbanization and population growth. "Huge swaths of forest are being razed to clear space for palm oil and cocoa plantations. Mangroves are being killed off by pollution. Even wispy acacias are hacked away for use in cooking fires to feed growing families."[54] Nigeria, Liberia, Guinea, Ghana and the Ivory Coast, have lost large areas of their rainforest.[64][65] In 2005, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations ranked Nigeria as the state with the worst deforestation rate in the entire world. Causes include logging, subsistence agriculture, and the collection of fuelwoods.[66]

According to a

ThoughtCo publication authored Steve Nix (2018), almost 90 percent of West Africa's original rainforest has been destroyed, and the rest "heavily fragmented and in a degraded state, being poorly used."[63]

Overfishing

Overfishing is a major issue in West Africa. Besides reducing fish stocks in the region, it also threatens food security and the livelihoods of many coastal communities who largely depend on artisanal fishing. The overfishing generally comes from foreign trawlers operating in the region.[67]

To combat the overfishing, Greenpeace has recommended countries reduce the number of registered trawlers operating in African waters, increase the monitoring and control and set up regional fisheries organizations.[68] Some steps have already been taken in the form of WARFP (the World Bank's West Africa Regional Fisheries Program which empowers west-African countries (i.e. Liberia, Sierra Leone, Cape Verde, and Senegal) with information, training and monitoring systems. Furthermore, Liberia enacted a fisheries regulations Act in 2010[69] and installed a satellite-based monitoring system and Senegal enacted a fisheries code in 2015. In Cape Verde, the fishermen communities of Palmiera and Santa Maria have organized themselves to protect fishing zones. Mozambique finally created a conservation area, including a coastline. [70][71]

Geography and climate

West Africa, broadly defined to include the western portion of the Maghreb (Western Sahara, Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia), occupies an area in excess of 6,140,000 km2, or approximately one-fifth of Africa. The vast majority of this land is plains lying less than 300 meters above sea level, though isolated high points exist in numerous states along the southern shore of West Africa.[72]

Western Afrotropical realm

Benin
Burkina Faso

The Gambia

Ghana
Guinea-Bissau
Guinea
Ivory Coast
Liberia
Mali
Mauritania
Nigeria
Niger
Senegal
Sierra Leone
Togo
State The biostate Location in Afrotropic
Satellite imagery from outer space of West Africa

The northern section of West Africa (narrowly defined to exclude the western Maghreb) is composed of semi-arid terrain known as Sahel, a transitional zone between the Sahara and the West Sudanian savanna. Forests form a belt between the savannas and the southern coast, ranging from 160 km to 240 km in width.[73]

The northwest African region of Mauritania periodically suffers country-wide plagues of locusts which consume water, salt and crops on which the human population relies.[74]

Background

West Africa is west of an imagined north–south axis lying close to

Sahara Desert, with the Ranishanu Bend generally considered the northernmost part of the region.[75] The eastern border is less precise, with some placing it at the Benue Trough, and others on a line running from Mount Cameroon to Lake Chad
.

Colonial boundaries are reflected in the modern boundaries between contemporary West African states, cutting across ethnic and cultural lines, often dividing single ethnic groups between two or more states.[76]

In contrast to most of Central, Southern, and Southeast Africa, West Africa is not populated by Bantu-speaking peoples.[77]

Climate change

This section is an excerpt from Climate change in Africa § West Africa and the Sahel.[edit]

The West African region can be divided into four climatic sub-regions namely the Guinea Coast, Soudano-Sahel, Sahel (extending eastward to the Ethiopian border) and the Sahara,[78] each with different climatic conditions. The seasonal cycle of rainfall is mainly driven by the south-north movement of the Inter-Tropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) which is characterised by the confluence between moist southwesterly monsoon winds and the dry northeasterly Harmattan.[79]

Based on the inter-annual rainfall variability, three main climatic periods have been observed over the Sahel: the wet period from 1950 to the early 1960s followed by a dry period from 1972 to 1990 and then the period from 1991 onwards which has seen a partial rainfall recovery.[80][81][82] During the dry period, the Sahel experienced a number of particularly severe drought events, with devastating effects.[83][84] The recent decades, have also witnessed a moderate increment in annual rainfall since the beginning of 1990s. However, total annual rainfall remains significantly below that observed during the 1950s.[85][83]

Some have identified the two recent decades as a recovery period.[86] Others refer to this as a period of "hydrological intensification" with much of the annual rainfall increase coming from more severe rain events and sometimes flooding rather than more frequent rainfall, or similarly other works[87][88] underline the continuity of the drought even though the rainfall has increased. Since 1985, 54 percent of the population has been affected by five or more floods in the 17 Sahel region countries.[89] In 2012, severe drought conditions in the Sahel were reported. Governments in the region responded quickly, launching strategies to address the issue.[90]

The region is projected to experience changes in rainfall regime, with climate models suggesting that decreases in wet season rainfall are more likely in the western Sahel, and increases more likely in the central to east Sahel, although opposite trends cannot yet be ruled out.[91][92][93] These trends will affect the frequency and severity of floods, droughts, desertification, sand and dust storms, desert locust plagues and water shortages.[94][95]

However, irrespective of the changes in seasonal mean rain, the most intense storms are expected to become more intense, amplifying flood frequency.[96][97] Enhanced carbon emissions and global warming may also lead to an increase in dry spells especially across the Guinea Coast associated with a reduction of the wet spells under both 1.5 °C and 2 °C global warming level.[98]

Fifteen percent of Sahel region population has also experienced a temperature increase of more than 1 °C from 1970 to 2010. The Sahel region, in particular, will experience higher average temperatures over the course of the 21st century and changes in rainfall patterns, according to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).

Transport

Rail transport

Main article: ECOWAS rail
Railway systems in West Africa, 2022

A Trans-ECOWAS project, established in 2007, plans to upgrade railways in this zone. One of the goals of the

standard gauge.[99]

Railway systems in West Africa 2030, projection

Road transport

Main article: Trans–West African Coastal Highway

The Trans–West African Coastal Highway is a transnational highway project to link 12 West African coastal states, from Mauritania in the north-west of the region to Nigeria[100] in the east, with feeder roads already existing to two landlocked countries, Mali and Burkina Faso.[101]

The eastern end of the highway terminates at

Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) consider its western end to be Nouakchott, Mauritania, or to be Dakar, Senegal
, giving rise to these alternative names for the road:

  • Nouakchott–Lagos Highway
  • Lagos–Nouakchott Highway
  • Dakar–Lagos Highway
  • Lagos–Dakar Highway
  • Trans-African Highway 7 in the
    Trans-African Highway
    network

Air transport

The capitals' airports include:

Of the sixteen, the most important hub and entry point to West Africa are Kotoka International Airport, and Murtala Muhammed International Airport, offering many international connections.

Health

Main article: History of West Africa § Health

West Africa has made considerably improvement in the health outcomes of its populations, in spite of the challenges posed by pervasive poverty, epidemic diseases, and food insecurity. The traditional communicable diseases of HIV/AIDS, malaria, and tuberculosis are still the major reasons of mortality. Primary health care is the best answer to curing diseases, as it provides the basic preventive strategies as it reduce the rate of child and maternal morbidity and mortality—two of the most preventable outcomes that can prolong life expectancy at birth.[102] Recently, mental health problems are on the rise in West Africa, as they are in many other world regions. However, the subject is largely a taboo, and professional treatment is still rare.[103]

Culture

Despite the wide variety of cultures in West Africa, from

Wagadou Empire), Mali Empire or perhaps before these empires. West Africa varies a series of tribes and cultures that have combined a diverse regional subculture.[citation needed
]

Art

Main article: African art § West Africa

Traditional architecture

Further information: Architecture of Africa § West Africa
A street and airport in the famous town of Timbuktu, Mali, showing the Sudano-Sahelian architectural style of the West African interior

The main traditional styles of building (in conjunction with modern styles) are the distinct Sudano-Sahelian style in inland areas, and the coastal forest styles more reminiscent of other sub-Saharan areas. They differ greatly in construction due to the demands made by the variety of climates in the area, from tropical humid forests to arid grasslands and deserts. Despite the architectural differences, buildings perform similar functions, including the compound structure central to West African family life or strict distinction between the private and public worlds needed to maintain taboos or social etiquette.[citation needed]

Clothing

Further information: Folk costume § Western Africa
Philip Emeagwali wearing the Boubou (or Agbada), a traditional robe symbolic of West Africa

In contrast to other parts of the continent south of the

Kente (made by the Akan people of Ghana and Ivory Coast
), who wear them as a gesture of national pride.

Cuisine

Main article: West African cuisine
Further information: History of West Africa § Cuisine, African cuisine § West Africa, and List of African cuisines § West African cuisine
Jollof rice or Benachin, one of many Pan–West African dishes found only in West Africa

Scores of foreign visitors to West African nations (e.g.,

emigrants, colonists, missionaries) have benefited from its citizens' generosity, and even left with a piece of its cultural heritage, via its foods. West African cuisines have had a significant influence on those of Western civilization for centuries; several dishes of West African origin are currently enjoyed in the Caribbean (e.g., the West Indies and Haiti); Australia; the USA (particularly Louisiana, Virginia, North and South Carolina); Italy; and other countries. Although some of these recipes have been altered to suit the sensibilities of their adopters, they retain a distinct West African essence.[105]

West Africans cuisines include fish (especially among the coastal areas), meat, vegetables, and fruits—most of which are grown by the nations' local farmers. In spite of the obvious differences among the various local cuisines in this multinational region, the foods display more similarities than differences. The small difference may be in the ingredients used. Most foods are cooked via boiling or frying. Commonly featured, starchy vegetables include

Twi language, a dough served with a spicy stew or sauce for example okra stew etc.) from Ghana is enjoyed throughout the region and beyond even in Central Africa with their own versions of it.[114] Dishes such as taguella, eghajira, etc. are popular among the Tuareg people.[115]

Recreation and sports

See also: West Africa cricket team
Supporters of ASEC Mimosas

The board game oware is quite popular in many parts of Southern Africa. The word "Oware" originates from the Akan people of Ghana. However, virtually all African peoples have a version of this board game.[116] The major multi-sport event of West Africa is the ECOWAS Games which commenced at the 2012 ECOWAS Games.

Nigerian Premier League and ASEC Mimosas of the Ligue 1 (Ivory Coast). The football governing body of West Africa is the West African Football Union (WAFU) and the major tournament is the West African Club Championship and WAFU Nations Cup, along with the annual individual award of West African Footballer of the Year.[118][119]

Music

Main article: Music of West Africa
Further information: Music of Africa § West, Central, Southeast and South Africa; and Sub-Saharan African music traditions § West Africa
The talking drum is an instrument unique to West Africa.

Mbalax, Highlife, Fuji, Afrobeat, and Afrobeats are modern musical genres of West Africa and its diaspora. Traditional folk music is also well-preserved. Some types of folk music are religious in nature such as the "Tassou" tradition used in Serer religion.[120]

Griot artists

griots in Senegal, 1900. Both the Kora
, a 21-stringed harp-lute, and the griot musical-caste are unique to West Africa.

Toumani Diabate
.

In other areas of West Africa, primarily among the

minstrels, bards and poets play a vital role in extending the public show of power, lineage and prestige of traditional rulers through their exclusive patronage. Like the griot tradition, praise singers are charged with knowing the details of specific historical events and royal lineages, but more importantly need to be capable of poetic improvisation and creativity, with knowledge of traditional songs directed towards showing a patron's financial and political or religious power. Competition between Praise-singing ensembles and artistes are high, and artists responsible for any extraordinarily skilled prose, musical compositions, and panegyric songs are lavishly rewarded with money, clothing, provisions and other luxuries by patrons who are usually politicians, rulers, Islamic clerics and merchants; these successful praise-singers rise to national stardom. Examples include Mamman Shata, Souley Konko, Fati Niger, Saadou Bori and Dan Maraya
. In the case of Niger, numerous praise songs are composed and shown on television in praise of local rulers, Islamic clerics, and politicians.

Theatre

Further information: History of theatre § West African theatre

Film industry

Further information: Cinema of Africa § West Africa

Ghanaian Shirley Frimpong-Manso
.

Religion

Islam

Further information: Islam in Africa and Religion in Africa § Islam
UNESCO World Heritage Site
.

Gambia, Mali, Mauritania, Guinea, Niger; the upper coast and inland two-thirds of Sierra Leone and inland Liberia; the western, northern and far-eastern regions of Burkina Faso; and the northern halves of the coastal nations of Nigeria, Benin, Togo, Ghana and Ivory Coast.[124]

African traditional

Further information:
Traditional African religion § West Africa, West African Vodun, and Religion in Africa § African Traditional Religion
Voodoo altar with several fetishes in Abomey, Benin

religious rituals together to the point where there is usually not "much distinction" between them.[126] Although traditional beliefs vary from one place to the next, there are more similarities than differences.[127]

Most traditional religious organizations "do not have a formal hierarchy of priests."[126] Group rituals are usually overseen by tribal elders who, "within many cultures", "serve as the main religious figures and determine the time, nature, and intricacies of rituals", or shaman priests who can use magic to heal, control fate, and connect to the spirit world.[126]

Christianity

Further information: Christianity in Africa and Religion in Africa § Christianity
Cathedral Basilica of the Most Holy Trinity, Onitsha, Nigeria

In 2010, around 20% of West Africans identified as

Evangelical churches have also been established. Christianity has become the predominant religion in the central and southern part of Nigeria, southern Ivory Coast, and the coastal regions stretching from southern Ghana to coastal parts of Sierra Leone. Like Islam, elements of traditional African religion are mixed with Christianity.[130]

Demographics and languages

Further information: Demographics of Africa, List of ethnic groups of Africa § West Africa, List of African countries by population, African diaspora, and Writing systems of Africa § West Africa

West Africans primarily speak

Tuareg language
, a Berber language.

Colonial languages also play a pivotal cultural and political role, being adopted as the official languages of most countries in the region, as well as linguae franca in communication between the region's various ethnic groups. For historical reasons, Western European languages such as

Arabic (in its Maghrebi
varieties) spreads inland northwards.

Architecture

Further information in the sections of Architecture of Africa:

Science and technology

Further information in the sections of History of science and technology in Africa:

Economic and regional organizations

Map of petroleum and natural gas within West Africa

Economic Community of West Africa

This section is an excerpt from ECOWAS.[edit]

The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS; also known as CEDEAO in French and Portuguese) is a regional political and economic union of fifteen countries located in West Africa. Collectively, these countries comprise an area of 5,114,162 km2 (1,974,589 sq mi) and have an estimated population of over 424.34 million.[131]

Considered one of the pillar regional blocs of the continent-wide African Economic Community (AEC), the stated goal of ECOWAS is to achieve "collective self-sufficiency" for its member states by creating a single large trade bloc by building a full economic and trading union. Additionally, ECOWAS aims to raise living standards and promote economic development.[132] The union was established on 28 May 1975, with the signing of the Treaty of Lagos, with its stated mission to promote economic integration across the region. A revised version of the treaty was agreed and signed on 24 July 1993 in Cotonou, the largest city in Benin.[133]

ECOWAS's fundamental principles rely on equity, inter-dependence, solidarity, co-operation, nonaggression, regional peace, promotion of human rights, and economic and social justice.[134]

Notably among ECOWAS's protocols and plans are the ECOWAS Free Movement of Persons, Residences and Establishment Protocol and the Ecotour Action Plan 2019–2029. The Free Movement of Persons Protocol permits citizens the right to enter and reside in any member state's territory,[135] and the Ecotour Action Plan aims to develop and integrate the tourist industry of each member state.[136]

ECOWAS also serves as a peacekeeping force in the region, with member states occasionally sending joint military forces to intervene in the bloc's member countries at times of political instability and unrest.[137][138]

In 2024, Niger, Burkina Faso, and Mali announced their withdrawal from the bloc. The countries had been suspended from ECOWAS due to military takeovers of their respective governments. The announcement of the withdrawal of the three junta-led states came after ECOWAS had threatened to use military force, by deploying its standby force, should the coup leaders fail to reinstate constitutionally elected presidents and governments, a threat which ECOWAS lacked the support, wherewithal and institutional strength to follow through.[139]

West African Monetary Union

The

West African Monetary Union (or UEMOA from its name in French, Union économique et monétaire ouest-africaine) is limited to the eight, mostly Francophone countries that employ the CFA franc as their common currency. The Liptako–Gourma Authority
of Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso seeks to jointly develop the contiguous areas of the three countries.

Women's peace movement

Since the adoption of the United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325 in 2000, women have been engaged in rebuilding war-torn Africa. Starting with the Women of Liberia Mass Action for Peace and Women in Peacebuilding Network (WIPNET), the peace movement has grown to include women across West Africa.

Established on May 8, 2006,

Aya Virginie Toure
.

Pray the Devil Back to Hell is a documentary film about the origin of this peace movement. The film has been used as an advocacy tool in post-conflict zones like Sudan and Zimbabwe, mobilizing African women to petition for peace and security.[142]

Gallery

Cityscapes of the largest cities

Bird's-eye view of the West Africa City of Lagos, Lagos State, Nigeria
Bird's-eye view of the West Africa City of Abuja, Federal Capital Territory, Nigeria
Bird's-eye view of the West Africa City of Accra, Greater Accra, Ghana
Bird's-eye view of the West Africa City of Abidjan, Lagunes, Ivory Coast
Bird's-eye view of the West Africa City of Kumasi, Ashanti, Ghana
Bird's-eye view of the West Africa City of Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Nigeria

Capital cities of West Africa

See also

  • African historiography
  • Agroecology in West Africa
  • Ajami
     – Arabic word referring to people whose first language is not Arabic
  • Ebola virus epidemic in West Africa
     – 2013–2016 major disease outbreak
  • List of regions of Africa
  • Manillas
     – West African money, a form of archaic money unique to West Africa
  • N'Ko script – Alphabet for the Manding languages of West Africa
  • North Africa – Northernmost region of Africa
  • Nsibidi Script – Ancient writing system, an indigenously developed West African writing system
  • Sub-Saharan Africa – Region south of the Sahara Desert
  • Vai syllabary – Writing system
  • West African Craton – One of the five cratons of the Precambrian basement rock of Africa that make up the African Plate
  • Western Sahara – Territory in North and West Africa

References

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  3. ^ a b United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division (2017). World Population Prospects: The 2017 Revision, custom data acquired via website. [1]
  4. ^ "IMF GDP 2011". Retrieved 17 October 2014.
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Further reading

External links

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