The African Union’s Agenda 2063: Contribution of Ecowas to Peace and Security in Africa

Abstract The African Union Agenda 2063 represents a significant milestone in Africa’s quest to attain sustainable peace, security and development on the continent. Ensuring a peaceful and secure Africa has become more portentous than a couple of decades ago because of increasing conflicts marked by insurgencies that have not only devastated lives, properties but also threatened the foundation of development on the continent. Therefore, the Agenda 2063, in which the AU provides the blueprint for African integration, the Aspiration 4 outlines elaborately the cooperative arrangement between AU and the regional economic communities ( REC ) such as ECOWAS . This paper examines the extent to which ECOWAS has contributed to the realization of AU ’s goal of promoting peace and security in the sub-region. Relying largely on archival sources from books, journals, and internet, the paper found that ECOWAS has contained conflict by enforcing its protocols on democratic governance and ensuring zero-tolerance for unconstitutional rule. However, collaboration between ECOWAS and the AU could be strengthened for effective African integration when the latter specifies the former’ mandate in its Agenda 2063 relating to regional peace and security.