West Africa: Thirty years of Ecowas

The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) is progressing beyond its role as peacekeeper in the region's violent conflicts, establishing the first zone in Africa, where people can move freely across borders, and making plans for ECO, a single regional currency. ECOWAS is setting an example for the rest of Africa. One New African article has called the organization "tempered like steel" because of its resolve to overcome its trials and tribulations.