ORIA

The West African Economic and Monetary Union (WAEMU) is an existing Customs and Currency Union between eight ECOWAS member States, namely: Benin, Burkina Faso, Guinea-Bissau, Côte d’Ivoire, Mali, Niger, Senegal and Togo. WAEMU came in to existence in 1994 to deepen economic integration and exists as a sub-regional grouping within the ECOWAS. The remaining ECOWAS member States, with the exception of Cabo Verde, are in the process of establishing a Monetary Union under the constituency known as the West African Monetary Zone.

The Establishing Treaty of ECCAS does not mention peace, security, stability and governance in its institutional structure. However, ECCAS adopted the Protocol of Peace and Security in February 1999, to deal with the conflicts and political instability in the region. The Protocol gave way for the establishment of the Security Council in Central Africa (COPAX) with three key instruments, the Commission for Defense and Security, the Central African Early Warning System and the Central African Multinational Force.

Given the foundation of ECCAS, the trade and market integration is its core objective. The Article 6 of the Treaty Establishing ECCAS indicates the creation of a free trade area and a customs union in twenty-years. In July 2004, ECCAS launched its free trade area with the aim of establishing a customs union of common external tariff by 2008.

The EAC does not explicitly refer to harmonization of sectoral policies in its treaties or protocols. Implicitly however, the protocols for the Customs Union and the Common Market both include elements where harmonization of sectoral policies fall under the “Four Freedoms” of movement, comprising the free movement of goods, labour, services, and capital.