what is the full meaning of ecowas

The full meaning of ECOWAS is the Economic Community of West African States. It is a regional political and economic union of fifteen countries located in West Africa. The main goal of ECOWAS is to promote economic cooperation among member states in order to raise living standards and promote economic development. Additionally, ECOWAS aims to achieve "collective self-sufficiency" for its member states by creating a single large trade bloc and building a full economic and trading union. The organization also serves as a peacekeeping force in the region, with member states occasionally sending joint military forces to intervene in the blocs member countries at times of political instability and unrest.