Assessment of Nigeria’s Role in the Development of Economic Laws in ECOWAS

Abstract

The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) was established in 1975 to promote economic co-operation and integration in the West African sub-region. It is believed that law is one veritable instrument that can help sustain economic development in any human society. Without law, the society would be in the state of anarchy, and sustainable development cannot thrive in a chaotic situation. Legal culture must therefore be evolved and applied for sustainable development. It was against this background that this paper critically assessed Nigeria’s efforts at evolving an international legal system for sustainable development in the ECOWAS. The paper interrogated the Treaty, Protocols, Decisions and other sources of ECOWAS law promoting sustainable development. It highlights the economic benefits, which the legal culture has brought to both Nigeria and other members of the ECOWAS. The paper revealed, among other things, that: (i) before 1975, there was no umbrella organization with a uniform source of law for the West African sub-region; (ii) Nigeria evolved a legal culture by spearheading the formation of the ECOWAS, drafting and revising of the ECOWAS Treaty, which has provided the legal frame-work for sustainable development in the sub-region. The study is a legal history of the ECOWAS as an international organization.

Keywords: Legal History, ECOWAS ,Treaty, Protocols, Decisions, Legal Culture, Sustainable Development, Market Integration Scheme, Trade Liberalization Scheme.