Openresearcher

This work evaluates functional integration among West African states through the lens of ECOWAS, tracing its origins to global post-war integration efforts and the belief that regional cooperation can accelerate development in less industrialized regions. Drawing on historical and descriptive analysis, the introduction highlights how ECOWAS was inspired by earlier models such as the EEC and UNCTAD resolutions promoting trade expansion among developing countries. It outlines the rationale for ECOWAS—economic cooperation, common markets, shared monetary and customs frameworks, and peacekeeping—as well as the theoretical foundations of integration, including functionalism, neo-functionalism, federalism, and intergovernmentalism. The section emphasizes that West African nations embraced integration as a strategy to enhance economic welfare, manage globalization pressures, and address shared socio-economic challenges, forming ECOWAS to coordinate policies and pool resources for collective progress.