Reforming ECOWAS 2025 Policy Brief

This policy brief by the Institute for Security Studies and the Global Public Policy Institute argues that the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) is facing a profound legitimacy crisis following the January 2025 withdrawal of Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger. The authors contend that to survive and restore stability, ECOWAS must move beyond its original economic mandate and the current intergovernmental status quo toward deeper political integration and supranationalism.

• ECOWAS is experiencing a severe crisis of legitimacy and political fragmentation, highlighted by the simultaneous exit of Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger in January 2025 to form the Alliance of Sahel States (AES). This division undermines the goal of a united West Africa.
• The organization is criticized for applying double standards regarding unconstitutional changes of government (UCGs), reacting decisively to military coups while failing to address 'constitutional coups' where leaders legally manipulate laws to extend their terms.
• A structural power imbalance exists within ECOWAS, where the Authority of Heads of State and Government dominates decision-making, limiting the autonomy of the Commission and other agencies and creating conflicts of interest when leaders undermine the very norms they are tasked to enforce.
• The effectiveness of the ECOWAS Court of Justice is severely limited by a lack of enforcement, with only 22 percent of its rulings having been implemented by member states since 2001.
• The geopolitical landscape has shifted, with the rise of China and Russia providing alternative security and financial support to military regimes, thereby reducing the leverage of ECOWAS and Western diplomatic sanctions.
• The authors propose a three-phase reform strategy: first, restoring political authority through the operationalization of ECOSOC and revising the sanctions regime; second, rebalancing institutions via parliamentary confirmation of Commission leadership; and third, achieving supranational integration with direct elections for Parliament and primacy of Community law.
• The brief identifies a potential core group of 'reform champions' to drive these changes, specifically naming Sierra Leone, Nigeria, Senegal, Ghana, and potentially Côte d’Ivoire.
• European support, particularly from Germany and the EU, is deemed essential because the financial requirements for these reforms exceed the means of member states and serve European strategic interests in curbing migration and insecurity.

APA

Sow, D., & Li, M. (2025). Reforming ECOWAS 2025 Policy Brief. Institute for Security Studies. https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/pages/1761285118795-Ad-hoc-ECOWAS-rv.pdf

Chicago

Sow, Djiby, and Melissa Li. Reforming ECOWAS 2025 Policy Brief. Institute for Security Studies, 2025. https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/pages/1761285118795-Ad-hoc-ECOWAS-rv.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Sow |first1=Djiby |last2=Li |first2=Melissa |title=Reforming ECOWAS 2025 Policy Brief |publisher=Institute for Security Studies |date=2025 |url=https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/pages/1761285118795-Ad-hoc-ECOWAS-rv.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{sow2025reforming, author = {Sow, Djiby and Li, Melissa}, title = {{Reforming ECOWAS 2025 Policy Brief}}, institution = {Institute for Security Studies}, year = {2025}, url = {https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/pages/1761285118795-Ad-hoc-ECOWAS-rv.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }