ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the institutional development of democracy and good governance in ECOWAS, through the vantage point of peace and security. It also traces the associated institutional measures promoting democracy and good governance, specifically the protocols that precede the ECOWAS Revised Treaty to understand ECOWAS’ approaches to peace, absent the integration of civil society stakeholders. It highlights how ECOWAS, through institutional evolution and the motivation of ECOWAS practitioners in peace and security, has worked to create a normative and practical environment in West Africa that induces political stability, frees the region of open conflict, and networks the region through the inclusion of civil society and local/indigenous mechanisms for peace. The lesson of peace and security in ECOWAS can also serve as an example of process-driven regional convergence in other subregions in Africa.
