Article 65 — CEDEAO Traite-1975

41 Depository Government .............................................................................................................. 41 7 THE 1975 TREATY OF THE ECONOMIC COMMUNITY OF WEST AFRICAN STATES PREAMBLE The President of the Republic, Head of State, Head of the Revolutionary Military Government, and President of the National Council of the Revolution of Dahomey The President of the Republic of Gambia 8 The Head of State and Chairman of the National Redemption Council of the Republic of Ghana The Head of State and Commander-in-Chief of the People's Revolutionary Armed Forces, President of the Republic of Guinea The President of the Republic of Guinea Bissau The President of the Republic of Ivory Coast The President of the Republic of Liberia The Chairman of the Military Committee of National Liberation, President of the Republic of Mali The President of the lslamic Republic of Mauritania The Head of State and President of the Supreme Military Council of the Republic of Niger The Head of the Federal Military Government, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria The President of the Republic of Senegal The President of the Republic of Sierra Leone The President of the Togolese Republic The President of the Republic of Upper Volta CONSCIOUS of the overriding need to accelerate, foster and encourage the economic and social development of their States in order to improve the living standards of their peoples; CONVINCED that the promotion of harmonious economic development of their States calls for effective economic co-operation largely through a determined and concerted policy of self-reliance; RECOGNISING that progress towards sub-regional economic integration requires an assessment of the economic potential and interests of each State; ACCEPTING the need for a fair and equitable distribution of the benefits of co-operation among Member States; NOTING that forms of bilateral and multilateral economic co-operation existing in the subregion give hope for wider co-operation; 9 RECALLING the Declaration of African Co-operation, Development and Economic Independence adopted by the Tenth Assembly of Heads of State and Government of the Organisation of African Unity; BEARING IN MIND that efforts at sub-regional co-operation should not conflict with or hamper similar efforts being made to foster wide co-operation in Africa; AFFIRMING as the ultimate objective of their efforts accelerated and sustained economic development of their States and the creation of a homogeneous society, leading to the unity of the countries of West Africa, by the elimination of all types of obstacles to the free movement of goods, capital and persons; DECIDE for the purpose of the foregoing to create an Economic Community of West African States, and AGREE AS FOLLOWS: NOTE I. The Republic of CAPE VERDE has adhered to the Treaty of the Community in accordance with the provisions of paragraph 2 Article 6 of the Treaty. ii. The Treaty of the Community shall be binding on the Republic of CAPE VERDE as from 1977 (date of submission of its membership document to the Federal Military Government of Nigeria) iii. The Revolutionary Military Republic of Dahomey became the Peoples' Republic of BENIN in 1975. 10 CHAPTER I PRINCIPLES.