Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS): A Regional Integration Analysis

In 1975, the 15 countries that comprise the Economic Community of West Africa States (ECOWAS) formalized a trade agreement to integrate their economies to make it easier for them to trade with each other and thus promote economic growth and development. Since then, the evidence suggests that intra-regional trade has not changed much. In this paper, we examine the factors hindering trade using data from 2000, 2010, and 2020 and a modified version of the gravity equation. The results of our study suggest that economic factors are primarily responsible for intra-ECOWAS trade and that policies designed to improve transportation infrastructure and reduce administrative barriers could significantly improve intra-ECOWAS trade.