The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) is a regional organization established on 28 May 1975. The aim of establishing ECOWAS was to promote cooperation and integration leading to the establishment of an economic and monetary union in West Africa. The ECOWAS requested technical and financial support from ACBF in building trade negotiation capacity within its precincts as well as within its member states. On the 15th of August 2011 ACBF and ECOWAS signed a grant regarding to fund the ECOWAS Trade Negotiation Capacity Building Project (ECOWAS/TNCB). On the 15th of December 2006 the ACBF Executive board approved a grant of US$ 1.5 million to fund the ACBF-ECOWAS Statistical Capacity Building Project (ESCAP). On the 6th of May 2009 ACBF singed a grant to establish the Economic Policy Analysis Unit (EPAU).
The overall objective of the ECOWAS Trade Negotiation Capacity Building Project (ECOWAS/TNCB) was to strengthen trade negotiation capacity within ECOWAS and in its member states. The goal of the ECOWAS Statistical Capacity Building (ESCAP) project was to contribute to the establishment of an enabling environment and conditions for ECOWAS member countries to produce the minimum statistical information needed for decision making, with the view of responding adequately to the needs of macroeconomic and commercial surveillance systems, monetary integration and to the monitoring of the MDGs and the PRSPs in the region. The overall goal of the Economic Policy Analysis Unit (EPAU) of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) was to strengthen the capacity of the ECOWAS commission to enable it to achieve economic and monetary integration, poverty reduction, and sustainable development in West Africa.
