REVISEDTREATY - Economic Community of West African States

1 ECONOMICCOMMUNITYOFWESTAFRICANSTATES(ECO WAS)REVISEDTREATYECONOMICCOMMUNITYOFWEST AFRICANSTATES(ECOWAS)REVISEDTREATYECOWAS COMMISSIONABUJA,NIGERIAECOWASREVISEDTREA TYP ublished By ECOWASC ommission,AbujaPrinted(1993)Reprint(2010 )EconomicCommunityofWestAfricanStates(EC OWAS)101 YakubuGowon Crescent,Asokoro, ,Abuja,NIGERIAW ebsites: (Article1)3 CHAPTERHE stablishment, Composition, Aims and Objectivesand Fundamental Principles of the Community (Articles 2-5)4 CHAPTERHII nstitutions of the Community -Establishment,Composition andFunctions(Articles6 -24)8 CHAPTERIVCo-operationin Food and Agriculture(Article 25)16 CHAPTERVCo-operationin Industry, Science and Technology and Energy(Articles26-28)17 CHAPTERVICo-operation in Environment and Natural Resources(Articles29 - 31)21 CHAPTERVIICo-operation in Transport, Communications and Tourism(Articles 32 - 34)

2 22 CHAPTERVHICo-operationin Trade, Customs, Taxation, Statistics, Moneyand Payments(Articles 35 -53)25 CHAPTERIXE stablishmentandCompletionofanEconomicand Monetary Union(Articles 54 - 55)34 CHAPTERXCo-operationinPolitical,Judicial and Legal Affairs,Regional Security and Immigration(Articles 56 - 59)35 ECOWASREVISEDTREATYCHAPTERXICo-operation inHumanResources,Information,SocialandCu lturalAffairs(Articles60-66)37 CHAPTERXIICo-operationinotherAreas(Artic le67)40 CHAPTERXIHLand-lockedand IslandMemberStates(Article68)41 CHAPTERXIVF inancialProvisions(Articles69- 75)41 CHAPTERXVD isputes(Article 76)43 CHAPTERXVIS anctions(Article 77)43 CHAPTERXVHR elationsbetweentheCommunityand the AfricanEconomic Community (Article78)44 CHAPTERXVfflRelationsbetweentheCommunity andotherRegionalEconomic Communities(Article79)44 CHAPTERXIXR elationsbetweentheExecutiveSecretariatan dtheSpecialisedInstitutionsoftheCommunit y(Articles80 - 82)45 CHAPTERXXR elationsbetweentheCommunityand ThirdCountriesandInternationalOrganisati ons(Article83)

3 46 CHAPTERXXIR elationsbetween Member States , Non -Member States ,RegionalOrganisationsandInternati onalOrganisations(Articles 84 - 85)46 CHAPTERXXnGeneral and FinalProvisions(Articles86 - 93)47 IVECOWASREVISEDTREATYREVISEDTREATYOFTHEE CONOMICCOMMUNITYOFWESTAFRICANSTATES(ECOW AS)PREAMBLEWe,theHeadsofStateandGovernme ntoftheMemberStatesoftheEconomicCommunit yofWestAfricanStates (ECOWAS);ThePresidentof the Republic of BENIN;ThePresidentofBURKINAFASO;ThePrime MinisteroftheRepublicofCAPEVERDE;ThePres identoftheRepublicofCOTEDTVOIRE;ThePresi dentof theRepublicof TheGAMBIA;ThePresidentoftheRepublicofGHA NA;ThePresidentof 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;ThePresidentof the Republic of MALI;The President of the Islamic Republic of MAURITANIA;ThePresidentof the Republic of NIGER;The President of the Federal Republic of NIGERIA;The President of the Republic of SENEGAL.

4 The Head of State and Chairman of the National Provisional Ruling Council of theRepublic of SIERRA LEONE; 28 May,1975andconsideringitsachievements;CO NSCIOUS oftheover-ridingneedtoencourage,fosteran dacceleratetheeconomicandsocialdevelopme ntofourStatesinordertoimprovethelivingst andardsof ourpeoples;CONVINCED thatthepromotionofharmoniouseconomicdeve lopmentof ourStatescallsforeffectiveeconomicco-ope rationandintegrationlargelythroughadeter minedandconcertedpolicy ofself-reliance;BEARING IN MIND the AfricanCharteron Human andPeople'sRights and theDeclarationofPoliticalPrinciplesof theEconomicCommunityofWestAfricanStatesa doptedinAbujabytheFourteenthOrdinarySess ionoftheAuthorityofHeadsofStateandGovern menton 6 July,1991;ECOWASREVISEDTREATYCONVINCED that the integrationof the Member States into a viable regional Communitymay demand the partial and gradual pooling of nationalsovereigntiesto theCommunitywithin thecontextofa collectivepolitical will.

5 ACCEPTINGthe need toestablishCommunityInstitutionsvestedwi threlevantandadequatepowers;NOTING that the presentbilateralandmultilateralforms of economicco-operationwithin the region open upperspectivesfor more extensive co-operation;ACCEPTING the need to face together the political, Economic andsocio-culturalchallengesof thepresentandthefuture,andtopooltogether theresourcesof ourpeopleswhilerespectingourdiversitiesf orthemostrapidandoptimumexpansionofthere gion'sproductive capacity;BEARINGINMINDALSOtheLagosPlanof ActionandtheFinalActofLagosofApril1980st ipulatingtheestablishment,by the year2000,of anAfricanEconomicCommunitybasedonexistin gandfutureregionaleconomiccommunities;MI NDFULOFtheTreatyestablishingtheAfricanEc onomicCommunitysignedinAbujaon 3 June,1991;AFFIRMING thatourfinalgoalistheacceleratedandsusta inedeconomicdevelopmentofMemberStates,cu lminatingintheeconomicunionofWestAfrica; ,1990relatingtotheestablishmentofaCommit teeofEminentPersonstosubmitproposalsfort hereviewofthe treaty .

6 AWARE thatthereviewoftheTreatyarises,interalia ,fromtheneedfortheCommunitytoadapttothec hangesontheinternationalsceneinordertode rivegreaterbenefitsfromthose changes;CONSIDERINGALSO theneedtomodifytheCommunity'sstrategiesi nordertoacceleratetheeconomicintegration processintheregion;ACCEPTING theneedtosharethebenefitsofeconomicco-op erationandintegrationamong MemberStates in a just andequitablemanner;HAVEDECIDED torevisetheTreatyof28 May,1975establishingtheEconomicCommunity ofWestAfricanStates(ECOWAS)andhaveaccord inglyagreedasfollows:ECOWASREVISEDTREATY CHAPTER1 DEFINITIONSARTICLE1 For the purpose of this treaty ,"ArbitrationTribunal"means theArbitrationTribunal of theCommunityestablishedunderArticle16oft hisTreaty;"Authority"meanstheAuthorityof HeadsofStateandGovernmentof theCommunityestablishedby Article 7 of this treaty .

7 "Chairmanof theAuthority"meansthecurrentChairmanof theAuthorityof Heads ofState andGovernmentof theCommunity,electedin accordancewith ;"Council" means the Council of Ministers of the Community established under Article10ofthisTreaty;"Commission"meanst heSpecialisedTechnicalCommissionestablis hedunderArticle22ofthisTreaty;" Community "meanstheEconomicCommunityofWestAfricanS tatesreferredtounderArticle2ofthisTreaty ;"Communitycitizenorcitizens"meansanynat ional(s)ofMemberStateswhosatisfythecondi tionsstipulatedintheProtocoldefiningComm unitycitizenship;"Court of Justice" means the Court of Justiceof theCommunityestablishedunderArticle15oft hisTreaty;"ImportDuties"meanscustomsduti esandtaxesofequivalenteffect,leviedongoo dsby virtue of their importation;"ExecutiveSecretary"meansthe ExecutiveSecretaryappointedinaccordancew iththeprovisionsof Article18of thisTreaty;" Economic and Social Council" means the Economic and Social Council establishedunderArticle14ofthisTreaty;"E xecutive Secretariat" means the Executive Secretariat established under Article17ofthisTreaty.

8 ECOWASREVISEDTREATY"Export Duties" means all customs duties and taxes of equivalent effect levied ongoods by virtue of their exportation;"Fund"meansthe FundforCo-operation,CompensationandDevel opmentestablishedunder Article21of this treaty ;"MemberState"of"MemberStates"mean s aMemberState orMemberStatesoftheCommunityasdefinedinP aragraph2 ofArticle2 of thisTreaty;"Non-TariffBarriers"meansbarr ierswhichhampertradeandwhicharecausedbyo bstaclesotherthan fiscalobstacles;"Parliament of the Community " means the Parliament established under Article13ofthis treaty ;"Protocol"meansaninstrumentofimpl ementationoftheTreatyhavingthesamelegalf orce as the latter;"Region" (XXVI)of the OAUC ouncilofMinisters;"StatutoryAppointees"i ncludestheExecutiveSecretary,DeputyExecu tiveSecretaries,ManagingDirectoroftheFun d,DeputyManagingDirectoroftheFund,Financ ialControllerand anyotherseniorofficeroftheCommunitydesig natedassuchbytheAuthorityorCouncil;"Thir dCountry"meansanyStateotherthanaMemberSt ate.

9 ' treaty " ,COMPOSITION,AIMSANDOBJECTIVESANDFUNDAME NTALPRINCIPLESOFTHECOMMUNITYARTICLE2 ESTABLISHMENTANDCOMPOSITIONTHEHIGHCONTRA CTINGPARTIES,bythisTreaty,herebyre-affir mtheestablishmentoftheEconomicCommunityo fWestAfricanStates(ECOWAS)anddecidethati tshallultimatelybethesoleeconomiccommuni tyintheregionforthepurposeofeconomicinte grationandtherealisationoftheobjectiveso fthe African ,hereinafterreferredto as"theMemberStates,"shall be theStatesthat ratify this aims of the Community are to promoteco-operationandintegration,leadin gtotheestablishmentofaneconomicunioninWe stAfricainordertoraisetheliving standards of its peoples, and to maintain andenhanceeconomicstability,fosterrelati ons-amongMemberStatesandcontributeto