Anecdotal evidence shows that in spite of regional efforts towards achieving convergence, the single digit inflation objective has not been realized. The jury is still out on the dynamics of price level convergence and the monetary authorities’ relative weights in the loss function....

The paper explores the interaction between the proposed monetary union for ECOWAS and structural reforms of fiscal policy. The effects depend to a large extent on the degree of similarity of member countries. In a monetary union of similar countries, member states run a more distortive fiscal...

Could a West African monetary union (either of the non-CFA countries, or all ECOWAS members) be an effective "agency of restraint" on fiscal policies? We discuss how monetary union could affect fiscal discipline and the arguments for explicit fiscal restraints considered in the European Monetary...

The WAEMU has, so far, demonstrated strong resilience to the Covid crisis. The economic rebound that started in the second half of 2020 firmed up in 2021, while fiscal and monetary policies remained supportive. External reserves have risen to comfortable levels and the financial system appears...

The paper empirically investigates the issue of macroeconomic convergence in the West Africa Monetary Zone (WAMZ) using monthly data from 1990:01 to 2010:05 as part of the ongoing discussion on the single currency for West Africa, The ECO initiative. The study specifically examines exchange and...

Could a West African monetary union (either of the non-CFA countries, or all ECOWAS members) be an effective agency of restraint on fiscal policies? We discuss how monetary union could affect fiscal discipline and the arguments for explicit fiscal restraints considered in the European Monetary...