West Africa

Region: West Africa

The United Nations population estimate for West Africa is 381-million (2018).

crops are groundnuts, sorghum and millet. Further south is the Sub-Humid Zone which includes Guinea-Bissau, Benin and the central parts of Nigeria where grass and shrubland predominate. The Humid Zone comprises the Guinea Zone (annual rainfall up to 1 800mm) and the Forest Zone. Both areas have tsetse fly, so livestock are less common. Multiple crops are cultivated and when dense tropical forests are cleared in the south, the land can carry oil palms, coconuts, rubber and cocoa (FAO).

The member states of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) are Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, Ivory Coast, the Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone and Togo.

The languages in which ECOWAS conducts its business reflect the varied colonial history of the region: French, English and Portuguese. The main body of ECOWAS is the Authority of Heads of States and Government. Other institutions include the Council of Ministers, the Commission and the ECOWAS Bank for Investment and Development (EBID). The peacekeeping force of ECOWAS has deployed joint military forces in times of instability, most recently in the Gambia.

Climate

The region’s climate varies from very dry in the north to humid in the south. In the Sahelian Zone the dry season can extend to 10 months and cattle, sheep and goats graze on grassland. Cotton is the main cash crop and food

Economy

The Nigerian economy contributes about 70% of regional GDP, so when that large oil producer experiences a recession, growth figures for the region are disproportionally affected. Low oil prices led to such a recession in 2016.

After several good years of growth, average GDP growth in West Africa was down to just 0.5% in 2016. In 2017 it recovered to 2.5% and three of the six African countries in the World Bank’s top 10 in terms of growth predictions in 2018 were in West Africa: Ghana (8.3%), Ivory Coast (7.2%) and Senegal (6.9%). Nigeria has also done better with improved commodity prices and the completion of successful presidential elections in 2019.

The African Development Bank’s West Africa Economic Outlook 2018 notes that most of the region’s economies are dominated by the service sector and that manufacturing is the smallest contributor to GDP in all of them. AfDB predicts that gross capital formation will grow quickly as the region moves away from reliance on demand from private consumption (70%).

Several of the region’s economies are dependent on single commodities which makes them vulnerable to price shocks. More than one country is looking to join the existing producers of oil and gas, but the creation of stronger manufacturing bases is the key to more stable economies and more formal jobs.

Resources

Oil, gold, phosphate, iron ore, bauxite, diamonds.