The Effectiveness of ECOWAS Conflict Prevention Mechanisms in West Africa: Implications for Nigeria

This study critically evaluates the effectiveness of the Economic Community of West African States conflict prevention mechanisms, with specific focus on the implications of ECOWAS's regional performance for Nigeria's own conflict management policies. Nigeria, as ECOWAS's largest member state, both shapes and is shaped by the regional body's peace and security architecture, including the Early Warning and Response Network, the ECOWAS Standby Force, and the Protocol on Democracy and Good Governance. Employing a qualitative comparative research design, the study analyses six ECOWAS conflict prevention case studies from 2018 to 2024, including interventions in Guinea, Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso, supplemented by interviews with 20 Nigerian diplomatic officials, ECOWAS Secretariat staff, and conflict studies scholars. The theoretical framework draws from regional security community theory and collective conflict management frameworks. Findings indicate that ECOWAS conflict prevention is most effective in electoral crisis scenarios and least effective in counter-insurgency contexts, a pattern with significant implications for how Nigeria channels regional multilateral support for its own North East and North West insecurity challenges. The study identifies gaps in ECOWAS's conflict financing, response speed, and mandate enforcement that weaken its preventive impact. Recommendations include Nigeria advocating for ECOWAS protocol reforms to strengthen mandate enforcement, developing a Nigeria-ECOWAS bilateral conflict management capacity framework, and investing in Nigerian diplomatic capacity for regional peace operations. Keywords: ECOWAS, conflict prevention, West Africa, Nigeria, regional security.