On July 9, 2023, Nigeria’s President Bola Tinubu emerged as the Chairman of the Authority of Heads of State and Government of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).
Tinubu was elected the Chairman of the Commission during the 63rd Ordinary Session of the Authority of Heads of State and Government held in Bissau, Guinea-Bissau.
For many of his supporters, this new development became a “flex,” further solidifying his title as the Jagaban, as he is fondly referred to by his admirers.
But for many on the other side, emerging as the Chairperson of ECOWAS is not so much of a “big deal” as Tinubu’s supporters have made it seem. They noted that several former Nigeria Presidents and Heads of State have also headed the position.
Truly, Nigeria’s former Presidents and Heads of State have served as the Chairman of the Commission at different times.
In fact, since Nigeria’s return to democracy in 1999, all the country’s elected presidents, except for Olusegun Obasanjo, have served as Chairman of ECOWAS. Although Obasanjo did not serve as Chairman of ECOWAS during his two terms as Nigeria’s President, he previously held the position of Chairperson of the ECOWAS while serving as Nigeria’s Head of State.
So far, only Muhammadu Buhari has served as the Chairman of ECOWAS, both as Nigeria’s Head of State and as a democratically elected president.
Now, let’s get to the most important part of this.
What is ECOWAS, and what will be the responsibilities of Tinubu as the Chairman of the Commission?
The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) was established via the Lagos Treaty that was signed on May 28, 1975. The main idea behind the establishment of the regional body is to promote economic integration across the region.
At establishment in 1975, ECOWAS was made up of 16 member states: Benin Republic, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, Cote d’Ivoire, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, and Togo. But on December 25, 2000, Mauritania withdrew from ECOWAS in order to concentrate its effort on the Arab Maghreb Union for cultural reasons and also on the fact that its interest would be better served there.
So currently, ECOWAS has 15 member states, which span an area of 5.2 million square kilometres.
The combined Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of the 15 countries that make up the regional organisation is $760.56 billion as of 2022. Nigeria has the largest GDP among the 15 member countries, accounting for 63% of the GDP of ECOWAS.
However, on a per capita basis, Cabo Verde tops the chart with a $3,903 GDP per capita. Cote d’Ivoire and Nigeria followed with $2,486 and $2,184, according to data from the World Bank.
Sierra Leone and Niger Republic have the smallest GDP per capita, standing at $461 and $533, respectively.
Only 7 countries in ECOWAS have a GDP per capita that is above $1,000. These are Cabo Verde, Cote d’Ivoire, Nigeria, Ghana, Senegal, Guinea, Benin, in descending order.
According to the data from the World Bank, the 15 member countries of ECOWAS have a combined population of 424 million. Nigeria alone accounts for 52% of the figure.
So, what will the responsibilities of Tinubu be for one year as the Chairman of ECOWAS with an aggregate economic size of $760.56 billion and a population of 424 million?
One of the roles Tinubu will play as the Chairman of ECOWAS is to preside over the summits of the Commission, which brings together the heads of state and governments of member countries. See this role as similar to that of a Chairman in your local community or a club/organisation. They basically set the agenda and moderate the conversations as they affect the members.
This is what the role of Tinubu will look like, albeit more technical, because it involves different independent nations, each putting the interest of its country and people forward, which is normal in international relations and politics. Thus, a lot of diplomatic skills are required on the part of the Chairman to foster dialogue and facilitate constructive debates, and, more importantly, reach collective decisions that drive regional integration and cooperation.
As a regional body, ECOWAS has a significant role in maintaining peace, stability and promoting democracy in the West Africa region. Thus, as the Chairman of the body, Tinubu has a crucial role to play in this regard, particularly in advancing democracy, as he noted during his speech.
“We will take democracy seriously,” he said.
The member countries of ECOWAS view good governance and democracy as the ideal system of government in the regional body. This is clearly captured in Article 1(b) of its Protocol A/SP/12/01 on Democracy and Governance. While Article 1(c) of the same Protocol frowns against any unconstitutional and undemocratic takeover of power in any of its member countries.
Unfortunately, in recent years, there have been a number of unconstitutional takeovers of power in member states of the regional body.
According to a report, between 2020 and 2022, five military coups occurred in 5 member countries of ECOWAS. Three of the coups were successful, while two were foiled.
As the Chairman of the Commission, Tinubu will have the responsibility of ensuring peace and stability in the region, which, of course, includes the promotion of democracy.
Interestingly he acknowledged this during his acceptance speech after he emerged as the Chairman of ECOWAS. He noted that an undemocratic takeover of power would no longer be a thing.
“We will not allow coup after coup in the West African sub-region. We will take this up seriously with the African Union, European Union, America, and Britain,” he said.
So, this will be one of the roles he will play as Chairman of the Commission.
He is also required to work closely with other member countries to address conflicts, mediate disputes, and promote peaceful resolutions in the region. It is, however, important to state that, in reality, one being an ECOWAS Chairman does not automatically stop such occurrences because the past coups that happened also occurred under the leadership of past Chairmen of the Commission.