Language Policy and Power in ECOWAS Institutions: Implications for Nigerian Francophone Engagement

ECOWAS operates under an official trilingual language policy designating English, French, and Portuguese as equal working languages, yet the practical power dynamics of language use within ECOWAS institutions create asymmetries that disadvantage Anglophone Nigerian officials in key decision-making forums and technical working groups. This study analyses language policy and its power effects within ECOWAS institutional contexts, with particular focus on implications for Nigerian francophone engagement. A critical discourse analysis and ethnographic institutional research design was employed, combining systematic analysis of ECOWAS language policy documents, rules of procedure, and institutional reports from 2019 to 2024, with ethnographic observation and interviews conducted during three ECOWAS summit preparatory meetings and two technical working group sessions. Forty-four interviews were conducted with ECOWAS secretariat staff, national delegation members from Anglophone and francophone states, and institutional language service personnel. Power analysis applied Lukes' three-dimensional power model to institutional language practices. Results document systematic de facto French dominance in ECOWAS technical working groups, where the majority of background documentation is produced in French and interpretation capacity for technical sessions is frequently inadequate. Nigerian delegates reported language-related disadvantages in influence on technical standard-setting and institutional appointment processes. The study develops an original theory of institutional language power in African regional organisations and proposes a comprehensive language equity reform agenda for ECOWAS institutions, including mandatory bilingual documentation standards and Nigerian investment in diplomatic French language capacity. Keywords: ECOWAS language policy, institutional power, French language, Nigeria, regional integration