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ECOWAS countries

ECOWAS has 12 members. Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger left in January 2025.

The full list

English-speaking members (5) 5

English is the official language, as the ECOWAS Commission records for each; all five signed the 1975 Treaty of Lagos.

• 🇬🇲The Gambia
• 🇬🇭Ghana
• 🇱🇷Liberia
• 🇳🇬Nigeria
• 🇸🇱Sierra Leone

French-speaking members (5) 5

French is the official language, as the ECOWAS Commission records for each; all five signed the 1975 Treaty of Lagos.

• 🇧🇯Benin
• 🇨🇮Côte d'Ivoire
• 🇬🇳Guinea
• 🇸🇳Senegal
• 🇹🇬Togo

Portuguese-speaking members (2) 2

Portuguese is the official language: one founder of 1975 and the one member that joined later, in 1977.

• 🇨🇻Cabo Verde
• 🇬🇼Guinea-Bissau

Not on the list

• Mauritania: A founding signatory in 1975 and the only Arabic-speaking member.
• Mali: Founding signatory in 1975.
• Burkina Faso: Founding signatory in 1975.
• Niger: Founding signatory in 1975.

Questions

How many countries are in ECOWAS?

ECOWAS has 12 members. Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger left in January 2025.

Which countries are on the list?

Benin, Cabo Verde, Côte d'Ivoire, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone and Togo.

What is an easy way to remember them?

5-5-2 by language: five English-speaking, five French-speaking and two Portuguese-speaking.

Is Mali in ECOWAS?

No. Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger left ECOWAS with effect from 29 January 2025.

More lists

Each name checked against at least two sources, one of them ECOWAS Commission, on 7 October 2026. Next review by 7 April 2027.
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