Geopolitics and (Non-)Implementation of the 2013 ECOWAS Counter Terrorism Strategy (ECTS)

The ECOWAS Counter Terrorism Strategy (ECTS) was adopted in February 2013 by the Authority of Heads of State and Government to address the militant crisis in the region. But, for half a decade years after its approval, no significant efforts and progress are have been made to fully enforce it. Therefore, in this study, the author examined the extent to which the geopolitics in West Africa has affected the overall implementation of the 2013 ECTS. The qualitative approach (and case study design) was employed for the study. This enabled the researcher to elicit relevant in-depth information for the analysis. A few security experts were engaged in face-to-face interview sessions. Official ECOWAS archival records, including protocols, treaties, and communiques were also sourced. The findings revealed that several factors, including political tension among and within member states, funding and technical capacity limitations, and external factors continue to undermine its implementation. It must be said that the kind of politics in the region have often been blamed for the 'non-implementation syndrome' of major ECOWAS initiatives at the national level. The author recommended that efforts should be made towards the harmonisation of resources, building community spirit and strong political will by the ECOWAS member states as the viable way for the sustained implementation of the 2013 ECTS in particular, and in building robust collective security in West Africa in general.