ECOWAS AND THE ‘NEW SCRAMBLE’ FOR AFRICA: INTERROGATING THE FRANCOPHONE/ANGLOPHONE DYNAMICS
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The study interrogates the content and context of the new realities that characterise the
relations between the member states of Economic Community of West African States
(ECOWAS). Indeed, this contemporary form of relations has been popularized as the “new
scramble” for Africa in view of the previous scrambles that have been copiously documented
in literature – slavery and colonialism. However, the kernel of this study is to situate this new
form of relations in the West African sub-region within the complexities of the age-long
rivalry in Francophone/Anglophone narratives. It does so through an examination of the
political economy of languages in determining the mode of production. In view of this, the
study engages underdevelopment and dependency theory (UDT), as a mainstream
development theory which views global relations as historical and dialectical processes that
necessarily engender contradictions in the political economy of nations. Based on textual
analysis and review, the study unearths the distortions inherent in the political economy of
the Francophone/Anglophone West African countries in this “new struggle”. Findings
suggest that while the French influence in West Africa is still dominant, the forces of
globalization are fast contesting that supremacy. More so, the aggressive drive by the
emerging economies, especially Brazil, India and China (BIC) for competitive share of the
African market and resources makes this new scramble very precarious. The study concludes
that the contradictions embedded in globalization will outstrip French influence in the nearest
future, while recommending a more robust and inclusive engagement of all countries in the
ECOWAS sub-region to maximize the gains of globalization
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PR English literature