ECCAS: Introduction

The Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS), established in 1983 and revised in 2019, comprises 11 member states in Central Africa. While its mandate expanded in 1998 to include peace and security alongside economic cooperation, the region continues to face challenges including low regional integration, currency diversity, and significant economic disparities, with member states ranging from low-income to nominally upper-middle-income.

• The Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS) was founded on 18 October 1983 through a Constitutive Treaty signed in Libreville by members of the UDEAC, the Economic Community of the Great Lakes States (CEPGL), and São Tomé and Príncipe. The treaty was later revised and adopted on December 18, 2019, and took effect on December 28, 2019.
• ECCAS consists of 11 member states: Angola, Burundi, Cameroon, the Central African Republic (CAR), Chad, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DR Congo), the Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Rwanda, and São Tomé and Príncipe. Membership history includes Angola, which was an observer until 1999, and Rwanda, which withdrew in 2007 and rejoined in 2013.
• The organization's goals include promoting regional integration in Central Africa across political, security, economic, monetary, financial, social, cultural, scientific, and technical sectors to achieve collective self-reliance, improve living standards, maintain economic stability, and preserve peaceful relations between members.
• ECCAS experienced a period of inactivity from 1992 to 1997 caused by conflict in the Great Lakes region and unpaid membership fees. Following its revival in 1998 via the Libreville Conference, the organization underwent reform to expand its mandate from a purely economic focus to include security concerns.
• Economic integration within ECCAS is hindered by low coordination and a diverse range of currencies. The CFA Franc is used by Cameroon, Chad, the Central African Republic, the Republic of Congo, Gabon, and Equatorial Guinea; the Kwanza is used in Angola; the Burundian Franc in Burundi; the Congolese Franc in DR Congo; the Rwandan Franc in Rwanda; and the Dobra in São Tomé and Príncipe.
• World Bank income classifications for ECCAS members vary: Gabon and Equatorial Guinea are nominally upper-middle-income, though the document notes this does not reflect the reality for most populations due to corruption, poor governance, and extreme poverty. Angola, Cameroon, the Republic of the Congo, and São Tomé and Príncipe are lower-middle-income, while Burundi, CAR, Chad, DR Congo, and Rwanda are classified as low-income.

APA

Mkhize-Malebo, T. (2026). ECCAS: Introduction. Institute for Security Studies. https://futures.issafrica.org/geographic/guide.pdf?geography=ECCAS&topic=01-introduction

Chicago

Mkhize-Malebo, Tumi. ECCAS: Introduction. Institute for Security Studies, 2026. https://futures.issafrica.org/geographic/guide.pdf?geography=ECCAS&topic=01-introduction.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Mkhize-Malebo |first1=Tumi |title=ECCAS: Introduction |publisher=Institute for Security Studies |date=28 May 2026 |url=https://futures.issafrica.org/geographic/guide.pdf?geography=ECCAS&topic=01-introduction |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{mkhizemalebo2026eccas, author = {Mkhize-Malebo, Tumi}, title = {{ECCAS: Introduction}}, institution = {Institute for Security Studies}, year = {2026}, month = may, url = {https://futures.issafrica.org/geographic/guide.pdf?geography=ECCAS&topic=01-introduction}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }