Economic Zones

The West Africa Long-Term Perspective Study published by the SWAC, identified three major economic zones as references for forecasting the future of the region by the year 2020.

Gulf of Guinea Countries | Atlantic Front | Landlocked Countries

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  Gulf of Guinea Countries  

The Gulf of Guinea countries bordering Nigeria are considered the heart of the regional economy. The Gulf of Guinea countries – from Abidjan to Yaoundé – are concentrated along a thin coastal strip of land that account for over 80% of the region’s GDP. This area polarises most of the regional market, both current and future. Nigeria, with over 50% of the region’s GDP, has a leading position in this sub-region and in West Africa as a whole.

  Atlantic Front

The Atlantic front has an urbanisation rate that is slightly above average for the region. This is a zone where the main challenge is creating urban jobs, a zone that focuses heavily on world markets, especially the European markets. In the forest areas of the Atlantic front, natural resource potential is high, but for the time being this does not contribute to sustainable development due to governance problems, internal conflicts, natural resource management (oil, diamonds and other mineral resources), and their position on the world markets.

  Landlocked Countries

The large landlocked countries have to face numerous challenges, including that of their landlocked position, their huge land mass, low population density and major ecological constraints. These have long been countries of large-scale emigration, both within and outside the region. These are countries that first and foremost have to rely on agricultural and agro-industrial potentials.