| We, the Heads of State and Government of the Member States of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS): The President of the Republic of BENIN
The President of BURKINA FASO
The Prime Minister of the Republic of CAPE VERDE
The President of the Republic of COTE D'IVOIRE
The President of the Republic of The GAMBIA
The President of the Republic of GHANA
The President of the Republic of GUINEA
The President of the Republic of GUINEA BISSAU
The President of the Interim Government of
National Unity of the Republic of LIBERIA
The President of the Republic of MALI
The President of the Islamic Republic of MAURITANIA
The President of the Republic of NIGER
The President of the Federal Republic of NIGERIA
The President of the Republic of SENEGAL
The Head of State and Chairman of the
National Provisional Ruling Council of the Republic of SIERRA LEONE
The President of the TOGOLESE Republic
ARTICLE 3 : AIMS AND OBJECTIVES
1. The aims of the Community are to promote co-operation and integration, leading to the establishment of an economic union in West Africa in order to raise the living standards of its peoples, and to maintain and enhance economic stability, foster relations among Member States and contribute to the progress and development of the African Continent.
2. In order to achieve the aims set out in the paragraph above, and in accordance with the relevant provisions of this Treaty, the Community shall, by stages, ensure;
a) the harmonisation and co-ordination of national policies and the promotion of integration programmes, projects and activities, particularly in food, agriculture and natural resources, industry, transport and communications, energy, trade, money and finance, taxation, economic reform policies, human resources, education, information, culture, science, technology, services, health, tourism, legal matters;
b) the harmonisation and co-ordination of policies for the protection of the environment;
c) the promotion of the establishment of joint production enterprises;
d) the establishment of a common market through:
i) the liberalisation of trade by the abolition, among Member States, of customs duties levied on imports and exports, and the abolition among Member States, of non-tariff barriers in order to establish a free trade area at the Community level; ii) the adoption of a common external tariff and.,a common trade policy vis-a-vis third
countries;
iii) the removal, between Member States, of obstacles to the free movement of persons, goods, service and capital, and to the right of residence and establishment;
e) the establishment of an economic union through the adoption of common policies in the
economic, financial social and cultural sectors, and the creation of a monetary union.
f) the promotion of joint ventures by private sectors enterprises and other economic operators, in particular through the adoption of a regional agreement on cross-border investments;
g) the adoption of measures for the integration of the private sectors, particularly the creation of an enabling environment to promote small and medium scale enterprises;
h) the establishment of an enabling legal environment;
i) the harmonisation of national investment codes leading to the adoption of a single Community investment code;
j) the harmonisation of standards and measures;
k) the promotion of balanced development of the region, paying attention to the special problems of each Member State particularly those of landlocked and small island Member States;
l) the encouragement and strengthening of relations and the promotion of the flow of information particularly among rural populations, women and youth organisations and socio-professional organisations such as associations of the media, business men and women, workers, and trade unions;
m) the adoption of a Community population policy which takes into account the need for a balance between demographic factors and socioeconomic development;
n) the establishment of a fund for co-operation, compensation and development; and
o) any other activity that Member States may decide to undertake jointly with a view to attaining Community objectives.
FUNDAMENTAL PRINCIPLES
THE HIGH CONTRACTING PARTIES, in pursuit of the objectives stated in Article 3 of this
Treaty, solemnly affirm and declare their adherence to the following principles:
a) equality and inter-dependence of Member States;
b) solidarity and collective self-reliance;
c) inter-State co-operation, harmonisation of policies and integration of programmes;
d) non-aggression between Member States;
e) maintenance of regional peace, stability and security through the promotion and strengthening of good neighbourliness;
f) peaceful settlement of disputes among Member States, active Co-operation between neighbouring countries and promotion of a peaceful environment as a prerequisite for economic development;
g) recognition promotion and protection of human and peoples' rights in accordance with the provisions of the African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights;
h) accountability, economic and social justice and popular participation in development;
i) recognition and observance of the rules and principles of the Community;
j) promotion and consolidation of a democratic system of governance in each Member State as envisaged by the Declaration of Political Principles adopted in Abuja on 6 July, 1991; and
k) equitable and just distribution of the costs and benefits of economic co-operation and integration.
: GENERAL UNDERTAKINGS
1 . Member States undertake to create favourable conditions for the attainment of the objectives of the Community, and particularly to take all necessary measures to harmonise their strategies and policies, and to refrain from any action that may hinder the attainment of the said objectives.
2. Each Member State shall, in accordance with its constitutional procedures, take all necessary measures to ensure the enactment and dissemination of such legislative and statutory texts as may be necessary for the implementation of the provisions of this Treaty.
3. Each Member State undertakes to honour its obligations under this Treaty and to abide by the decisions and regulations of the Community
CO-OPERATION IN FOOD AND AGRICULTURE
AGRICULTURAL DEVELOPMENT AND FOOD SECURITY
1. Member States shall co-operate in the development of agriculture, forestry, livestock and fisheries in order to:
a) ensure food security;
b) increase production and productivity in agriculture, livestock, fisheries and forestry,
and improve conditions of work and generate employment opportunities in rural areas;
c) enhance agricultural production through processing locally, animal and plant products.; and
d) protect the prices of export commodities on the international market.
2. To this end, and in order to promote the integration, of production structures, Member States shall co-operate in the following fields:
a) the production of agricultural inputs, fertilizers, pesticides, selected seeds, Agricultural
machinery and equipment and veterinary products;
b) the development of river and lac basins;
c) the development and protection of marine and fishery resources;
d) plant and animal protection;
e) the harmonisation of agricultural development strategies and policies particularly
pricing and price support policies on the production, trade and marketing of major agricultural
products and inputs; and
f) the harmonisation of food security policies paying particular attention to:
i) the reduction of losses in food production;
ii) the strengthening of existing institutions for the management of natural calamities,
agricultural diseases and pest control;
iii) the conclusion of agreements on food security at the regional level; and
iv) the provision of food aid to Member States in the event. of serious food shortage.
g) the establishment of an early warning system; and
h) the adoption of a common agricultural policy especially in the fields of research, training, production, preservation, processing and marketing of the products of agriculture, forestry, livestock and fisheries.
CO-OPERATION IN INDUSTRY, SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY AND ENERGY
INDUSTRY
1. For the purpose of promoting industrial development of Member States and integrating their economies, Member States shall, harmonise their industrialisation policies.
2. In this connection, Member States shall:
a) strengthen the industrial base of the Community, modernise the priority sectors and foster self-sustained and self-reliant development;
b) promote joint industrial development projects as well as the creation of multinational enterprises in priority industrial sub-sectors likely to contribute to the development of agriculture, transport and communications, natural resources and energy.
3. In order to create a solid basic for industrialisation and promote collective self reliance, Member States shall:
a) ensure, on the one hand, the development of industries essential for collective self- reliance and, on the other, the modernisation of priority sectors of the economy especially:
i) food and agro-based industries; ii) building and construction industries; iii) metallurgical industries; iv) mechanical industries; v) electrical, electronics and computer industries; vi) pharmaceutical, chemical and petrochemical industries;. vii) forestry industries; viii) energy industries; ix) textile and leather industries; x) transport and communications industries; xi) bio-technology industries; xii) tourist and cultural industries. b) give priority and encouragement to the establishment and strengthening of private and public multinational industrial projects likely to promote integration;
c) ensure the promotion of medium and small-scale industries;
d) promote intermediate industries that have strong linkages to the economy in
order to increase the local component of industrial output within the Community;
e) prepare a regional master plan for the establishment of industries particularly those whose construction cost and volume of production exceed national, financial. and absorptive capacities;
f) encourage the establishment of specialised institutions for the financing of West African multinational industrial projects;
g) facilitate the establishment of West African multinational enterprises and encourage the participation of West African entrepreneurs in the regional industrialisation process.
h) promote the sale and consumption of strategic industrial products manufactured in Member States;
i) promote technical co-operation and the exchange of experience in the field of industrial technology and implement technical training programmes among Member States;
j) establish a regional data and statistical information base to support industrial development at the regional and continental levels;
k) promote, on the basis of natural resource endowments, industrial specialisation in order to enhance complementarity and expand the intra-Community trade base; and
l) adopt common standards and appropriate quality control systems.
SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
1. Member States shall:
a) strengthen their national scientific and technological capabilities in order to bring about the socioeconomic transformation required to improve the quality of life of their population;
b) ensure the proper application of science and technology to the development of agriculture, transport and communications, industry, health and hygiene, energy, education and manpower and the conservation of the environment;
c) reduce their dependence on foreign technology and promote their individual and collective technological self-reliance;
d) co-operate in the development, acquisition and dissemination of appropriate technologies; and
e) strengthen existing scientific research institutions and take all necessary measures to prepare and implement joint scientific research and technological development programmes.
2. In their co-operation in this field, Member States shall:
a) harmonise, at the Community level, their national policies on scientific and technological research with a view to facilitating their integration into the national economic and social development plans;
h) co-ordinate their programmes in applied research, research for development, scientific and technological services;
c) harmonise their national technological development plans by placing special emphasis on indigenous and adapted technologies as well as their regulations on industrial property and transfer of technology;
d) co-ordinate their positions on all scientific and technical questions forming the subject of international negotiations;
e) carry out a permanent exchange of information and documentation and establish Community data networks and data banks;
f) develop joint programmes for training scientific and technological cadres, including the training and further training of skilled manpower;
g) promote exchanges of researchers and specialists among Member States in order
to make full use of the technical skills available within the Community; and
h) harmonise the educational systems in order to adapt better educational scientific
and technical training to the specific development needs of the West African environment.
ENERGY
1. Member States shall co-ordinate and harmonise their policies and programmes in the field of energy.
2. To this end, they shall:
a) ensure the effective development of the energy resources of the region;
b) establish appropriate co-operation mechanisms with a view to ensuring a regular
supply of hydrocarbons;
c) promote the development of new and renewable energy particularly solar energy in the framework of the policy of diversification of sources of energy;
d) harmonise their national energy development plans by ensuring particularly the inter- connection of electricity distribution networks;
e) articulate a common energy policy, particularly, in the field of research, exploitation, production and distribution;
f) establish an adequate mechanism for the collective solution of the energy development problems within the Community, particularly those relating to energy transmission, the shortage of skilled technicians and financial resources for the implementation of energy projects of Member States.
CO-OPERATION IN ENVIRONMENT AND
NATURAL RESOURCES
ENVIRONMENT
1 . Member States undertake to protect, preserve and enhance the natural environment of the region and co-operate in the event of natural disasters.
2. To this end, they shall adopt policies, strategies and programmes at national and regional levels and establish appropriate institutions to protect. preserve and enhance the environment, control erosion, deforestation, desertification, locusts and other pests.
HAZARDOUS AND TOXIC WASTES
1 . Member States undertake, individually and collectively, to take every appropriate step to prohibit the importation, transiting, dumping and burying of hazardous and toxic wastes in their respective territories.
2. They further undertake to adopt all necessary measures to establish a regional dump-watch to prevent the importation, transiting, dumping and NATURAL RESOURCES
1 . Member States shall harmonise and co-ordinate their policies and programmes in the field of natural resources.
2. To this end, they shall:
a) seek better knowledge and undertake an assessment of their natural resources potential;
b) improve methods of pricing and marketing of raw materials through a concerted policy;
c) exchange information on the prospection, mapping, production and processing of mineral resources, as well as on the prospection, exploitation and distribution of water resources;
d) co-ordinate their programmes for development and utilisation of mineral and water resources;
e) promote vertical and horizontal inter-industrial relationships which may be established among Member States in the course of developing such resources;
f) promote the continuous training of skilled manpower and prepare and implement joint training and further training programmes for cadres in order to develop the human resources and the appropriate technological capabilities required for the exploration, exploitation and processing of mineral and water resources;
g) co-ordinate their positions in all international negotiations on raw materials; and
h) develop a system of transfer of expertise and exchange of scientific, technical and economic remote sensing data among Member States.
CO-OPERATION IN TRANSPORT, COMMUNICATIONS AND TOURISM
TRANSPORT AND COMMUNICATIONS
1. For the purpose of ensuring the harmonious integration of the physical infrastructures. of Member States and the promotion and facilitation of the movement of persons, goods and services within the Community, Member States undertake to:
a) evolve common transport and communications policies, laws and regulations;
b) develop an extensive network of all-weather highways within the Community, priority being given to the inter-State highways;
c) formulate plans for. the improvement and integration of railway and road networks in the region;
d) formulate programmes for the improvement of coastal shipping services and inter-state inland waterways and the harmonisation of policies on maritime transport and services;
e) co-ordinate their positions in international negotiations in the area of maritime transport;
f) encourage co-operation in flight-scheduling, leasing of aircraft and granting and joint use of fifth freedom rights to airlines of the region;
g) promote the development of regional air transportation services and endeavour to bring about the merger of national airlines in order to promote. their efficiency and profitability;
h) facilitate the development of human resources through the harmonisation and coordination of their national training programmes and policies in the area of transportation in general and air transport in particular;
i) endeavour to standardise equipment used in transport and communications and establish common facilities for production, maintenance and repair.
2. Member States also undertake to encourage the establishment and promotion of joint ventures and Community enterprises and the participation of the private sector in the areas of transport and
CO-OPERATION IN TRADE, CUSTOMS, TAXATION,STATISTICS,
MONEY AND PAYMENTS
LIBERALISATION OF TRADE
There shall be progressively established in the course of a period of ten (10) years effective from 1 January, 1990 as stipulated in Article 54, a Customs Union among the Member States. Within this union, Customs duties or other charges with equivalent effect on Community originating imports shall be eliminated.
Quota, quantitative or like restrictions or prohibitions and administrative obstacles to trade among the Member States shall also be removed. Furthermore, a common external tariff in respect of all goods imported into the Member States from third countries shall be established and maintained. Article.
CO-OPERATION IN HUMAN RESOURCES, INFORMATION,SOCIAL AND CULTURAL AFFAIRS
HUMAN RESOURCES
1. Member States undertake to co-operate in the full development and utilisation of their human right resources.
2. To this end, they shall take measures to:
a) strengthen co-operation among themselves in the fields of education, training and employment; and to harmonise and co-ordinate their policies and programmes in these areas;
b) consolidate their existing, training institutions, improve the efficacy of their educational systems, encourage exchanges between schools and universities, establish equivalences of academic, professional and technical qualifications, encourage literacy, promote the teaching and practice of the official languages of the Community, and establish regional centres of excellence in various disciplines;
c) encourage the exchange of skilled manpower between Member States.
SOCIAL AFFAIRS
1 . Member States undertake to cooperate with a view to mobilise, the various sections of the population and ensuring their effective integration and involvement in the social development of the region.
2. For the purposes of paragraph 1 of this Article, Member States undertake to:
a) encourage the exchange of experiences and information on literacy, professional training and
employment;
b) harmonise their labour laws and social security legislations;
c) promote women's and youth organisations and professional associations as a means of
ensuring mass involvement in the activities of the Community;
d) encourage and strengthen co-operation amongst themselves in health matters; and
e) promote and enhance the practice of sports with a view to bringing together the youth of the region and ensuring their balanced development.
CULTURAL AFFAIRS
1. Member States undertake to pursue the objectives of the Community Cultural Framework Agreement.
2. To this end, Member States undertake to:
a) encourage the promotion, by every means possible, of all forms of cultural exchange;
b) Promote, develop and, where necessary. ii-nl)rove structures and mechanisms for the production, propagation and utilisation of cultural industries; and
c) promote the learning and dissemination of a West African language as a factor in Community integration.
WOMEN AND DEVELOPMENT
1. Member States undertake to formulate, harmonise, co-ordinate and establish appropriate policies and mechanisms, for enhancement of the economic, social and cultural conditions of women.
2. To this end, Member States shall take all measures necessary to:
a) identify and assess all constraints that inhibit women from maximising their contribution to
regional development efforts; and
b) provide a framework within which the constraints will be addressed and for the incorporate of
women's concerns and needs into the normal operations of the society;
3. At the Community level. Member States shell:
a) stimulate dialogue among themselves on the kinds of projects and programmes aimed at
integrating women into the development process;
b) establish a mechanism for co-operation with bilateral, multilateral and non-governmental
organisations; and
c) promote and development mechanisms to encourage the exchange of experiences and d)
OFFICIAL AND WOKING LANGUAGES 1 . The official languages of the Community shall be all West African languages so designated by the Authority as well as English, French and Portuguese.
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