The flag of the Economic Community of West African States is the banner of the regional bloc founded by the Treaty of Lagos in May 1975. ECOWAS coordinates trade, economic, and security policy across West Africa, and operates a peacekeeping force (ECOMOG) that has intervened in regional conflicts since the early 1990s.
The design
The Flag of ECOWAS is a national emblem rendered in the colours and proportions defined by the country’s flag law. Its official aspect ratio is 2:3, the height-to-length ratio that fixes how the flag should be cut and flown. The colour scheme uses white, green, with each shade specified to particular Pantone or RGB values for official reproduction.
Colour palette
| Colour | Name | Common symbolism |
|---|---|---|
| White | white | Commonly represents peace, purity, honesty or snow-capped landscapes. |
| Green | green | Tends to evoke land, agriculture, hope, Islam or the natural environment. |
| Source | Official flag law | The country’s own statute or constitutional appendix specifies exact shades and proportions. |
Symbolism & heraldry
A white field bearing a green map of West Africa with the ECOWAS abbreviation in white letters. The green is shared with the AU flag and signifies African renewal; the white background represents the peace the bloc was founded to maintain. The map is rendered without internal borders to emphasise the union of the region.
Heraldic elements on the Flag of ECOWAS — bands, charges, emblems or stars — each carry meaning agreed at the moment of the flag’s adoption. Re-readings happen across generations: a colour or a symbol that began with one meaning often picks up further layers as the country’s history unfolds.
Adoption & history
The current flag was adopted in 1985. It is credited to ECOWAS Commission. Earlier banners flown by reflected the politics of their day; each redesign typically marked a moment of independence, regime change or constitutional reform. The current flag was chosen, debated and codified through the country’s official channels and is now protected by flag law.
Etiquette & protocol
The Flag of ECOWAS should be flown with respect: never allowed to touch the ground, never used as drapery for ceremonies it was not made for, and lowered or removed at sundown unless illuminated. When flown alongside other national flags, it takes precedence on home soil and is hoisted first and lowered last. On days of national mourning, the flag is flown at half-mast in line with directives from the head of state. These conventions are common to most nations and are usually written into the flag’s founding statute.
Specifications
| Field | Value | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Country | — | |
| Continent | Africa | — |
| ISO alpha-2 | 2-letter code | |
| ISO alpha-3 | 3-letter code | |
| Adopted | 1985 | year of current design |
| Proportion | 2:3 | height : length |
| Colours | white, green | — |
| Designer | ECOWAS Commission | — |
| Emoji | Unicode codepoint sequence |
Did you know?
In January 2024, the military-led governments of Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger announced their withdrawal from ECOWAS — the first significant departures since the bloc's founding nearly fifty years earlier.
About the organisation
ECOWAS was founded in 1975. Its headquarters are in Abuja, Nigeria.
Member states
ECOWAS has 12 member states. Membership current as of 2024-01.
- Benin
- Cabo Verde
- Ghana
- Guinea
- Guinea-Bissau
- Ivory Coast
- Liberia
- Nigeria
- Senegal
- Sierra Leone
- The Gambia
- Togo
Observer / suspended states
States with non-full membership status (observer, suspended, applicant):
