Economic integration and convergence of per capita income in West Africa

Economic co-operation at the regional and sub-regional level has been an important feature of the economic development policies of developing countries. The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) was established in 1975 with a view, inter alia, to promote economic co-operation and integration in West Africa. This paper tests for beta and sigma convergence for a group of low-income countries in Africa where studies of this nature is sparse. Both cross sectional and time series approach is used to investigate convergence. The results show that ECOWAS countries form a convergence club, that is, the tendency for per capita income to convergence and a diminution of the standard deviation of per capita income over time.