Flag of ECOWAS
Officially Economic Community of West African States
What the flag looks like
A white field with the ECOWAS emblem in the center: a green ring lettered CEDEAO above and ECOWAS below, around a brown horseshoe and a map of Africa with West Africa picked out in green.
What it means
The map picks out West Africa within the continent, and the ring carries the community's initials in French and Portuguese (CEDEAO) and in English (ECOWAS).
How to remember it
ECOWAS
puts a green-highlighted map of West Africa inside a green ring, CEDEAO on top and ECOWAS underneath, on plain white.
Fun facts
- ECOWAS was founded by the Treaty of Lagos on 28 May 1975.
- Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger left in January 2025, cutting the membership from 15 states to 12.
ECOWAS at a glance
- Founded
- 1975
- Members
- 12 states
- Headquarters
- Abuja
- Headquarters
- Abuja
- Region
- Founded 1975
- Languages
- English, French, Portuguese