ABSTRACT
This chapter provides an overview of past and current attempts at state-building, national integration, gender and economic development in West Africa. It explores the links between democratic institutions, women's position and market economies and proposes a holistic approach to tackling the problems of weak institutions, fragmented societies, gender oppression and mass impoverishment. The potential role of the state in building support for democracy, promoting economic development and fostering national unity cannot be overstated. The profile of women in national and international development has been raised, and gender-sensitive planning acknowledged by all major development agencies as the cornerstone of economic development. West African states are the products of European colonialism, with their territorial borders delimited by European powers. Since the territorial states are not contiguous with ethnic boundaries, a national imaginary constructed by the state cannot be ethnic-specific if it is to succeed in constituting a new nation.
