Justification and impact of international environmental agreements on West African sub-region: the ECOWAS’ experience
2022
Belemsobgo, Sidnoma Nita
This paper sets out to investigate the impact of International Environmental Agreements on the Economic Community of West African States (hereafter ECOWAS). It also examines the challenges hindering effective implementation of Community Environmental Law (CEL) within the Community Member States. This paper posits that despite the policies, programmes and plans adopted by ECOWAS, some challenges still remain. Effective CEL application faces challenges related to the economy, relevant institutions, the exclusion of indigenous people, and the over-proliferation of International Environmental Agreements. Findings from this paper reveal that institutional challenges have changed since the early 1990s from an institutional vacuum to the emergence of scattered and uncoordinated institutions. Moreover, ECOWAS countries still struggle to balance environmental protection and economic growth. To overcome the aforementioned challenges, it is recommended that ECOWAS learn from existing communities such as the European Union (EU); that modern lawmakers work side by side with indigenous people for effective environmental protection (allying the customary dimension to the legal aspect); that traditional knowledge be considered in drafting “modern” legislation; and that economic incentives like providing low-emission credits to enterprises be created for environmental protection.
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