The Challenges of Economic Integration in west africa

         .ABSTRACT

Economic integration (EI), which is an embodiment of custom unions, tradeblocs,   and   free   trade   area,   has   the   ultimate   aim   of   promoting   tradeparticipation   of   Members   and   in   the   long-run   enhancing   economicperformance   and   welfare   of   their   citizenry.   Economic   Integration   cannotoperate in a vacuum, it requires some sort of components such as transportand communication facilities, critical mass of capital, institutions, and so onto meaningfully realize its objectives (Essien, 2009). It is on this axiom thatregional   economic   communities   (RECs)   are   established   across   the   world,which   Economic   Community   for   West   African   States   (ECOWAS)   is   goodexample. Well, it is obvious that despite the Presence of Ecowas, economicintegration in West Africa is still far from being a reality due to a myriad offactors   ranging   from   language   barrier   to   national   interests   of   the   statesconcerned. Hence, it is on this fact that this paper shall attempt to identifyand   examine   the   challenges   to   economic   integration   in   West   Africa   byfocusing on ECOWAS as a case study while identifying some prospects foreconomic integration in West Africa.Keywords: Economic, ECOWAS, Integration, Development, West Africa