Economic Community of West African States ECOWAS and Regional Security in West Africa

The Economic Community of West African States ECOWAS is dedicated to the preservation of peace and order, as well as the integration and unity of action among all West African states, founded on shared values, objectives, interests, and development. ECOWAS is recognised for articulating and advancing the political, socio economic, peace, and security interests of its member states within the evolving global environment. West African States are afflicted by communal and ethnic disputes, armed violence, political instability, refugees and internally displaced persons IDPs . The aim of the study was to examine the role of ECOWAS in regional security in West Africa. Whereas the objectives were to explore ECOWAS and conflict prevention and intervention in West African States and examine the efforts by ECOWAS to stabilise the West African states and secure the region. The study adopted the structural functionalist theory. The basic assumption of the theory is that the society is structured in conjunction with different groups and organisations affiliation and connection. Structural Functionalist theory sees society as a complex system whose parts work together to promote solidarity and stability. The study adopted the descriptive survey research design and used secondary sources of data. The content analysis method was used as the method of data analysis. The findings from the study revealed fundamental weaknesses in West African political structures and pervasive corruption, which have precipitated military incursions and undermined democratic institutions. The study also identified factors contributing to regional security issues, including weak state institutions, economic inequities, ethnic and religious tensions, and the proliferation of small guns and light weapons. The paper concluded that except ECOWAS strengthens the democratic institutions in West Africa and its military arm in mitigating conflicts, armed violence, and wars, as well as in restoring democracy in West African nations affected by coups détat and civil wars, the ripple effects will continue within the region. The study recommended that ECOWAS should continue to prioritise peace and security while harmonising policies targeted at infrastructural development within the region. Ebimnamaonye Herbert Chukwudi | Owhor Godknows Chima "Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and Regional Security in West Africa" Published in International Journal of Trend in Scientific Research and Development (ijtsrd), ISSN: 2456-6470, Volume-9 | Issue-5 , October 2025, URL: https://www.ijtsrd.com/papers/ijtsrd97523.pdf Paper URL: https://www.ijtsrd.com/humanities-and-the-arts/political-science/97523/economic-community-of-west-african-states-ecowas-and-regional-security-in-west-africa/ebimnamaonye-herbert-chukwudi