ECCAS: Members, Bodies and Integration Missions in Central Africa
ECCAS: definition of the Economic Community of Central African States
ECCAS (Economic Community of Central African States) is an intergovernmental organisation that brings together eleven countries of Central Africa and the Great Lakes region. Created on 18 October 1983, it has its headquarters in Libreville, Gabon. It aims to promote cooperation and strengthen regional integration in the political, security, economic, monetary, financial, social, cultural, scientific and technical fields.
The member states of the community
The founding members are Burundi, Cameroon, the Central African Republic, Chad, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, the Republic of the Congo and São Tomé and Príncipe. Angola joined the organisation in 1999. Rwanda left it in 2007 and took its place again in 2016.
This membership brings together very different countries: oil-producing states, landlocked economies and island states. Some of them use the Central African CFA franc within a separate monetary area, while Angola, Burundi, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Rwanda and São Tomé and Príncipe have their own currencies. ECCAS therefore does not manage a common currency.
Bodies and functioning of ECCAS
The Conference of Heads of State and Government sets the guidelines. The Commission, based in Libreville, carries out the decisions. It has a president, a vice-president and several commissioners in charge of areas such as the common market, economic, monetary and financial affairs, or peace and security.
The Burundian Ezéchiel Nibigira was appointed president of the Commission on 7 September 2025, at an extraordinary session of the Conference held in Sipopo, Equatorial Guinea. He succeeds the Angolan Gilberto Verissimo for a five-year term, which cannot be renewed. A vision for the community for 2026-2030 guides the work of the Commission, and a reform of the organisation's legal architecture has been launched.
Peace, security and economic integration
The peace and security architecture comprises the Defence and Security Commission, the Central African Multinational Force, the Central African Early Warning Mechanism, the Network of Parliamentarians of Central Africa and the Regional Coordination Centre for Maritime Security. A cooperation framework with the United Nations Regional Office for Central Africa dates from 16 June 2016.
In November 2025, the community and this office adopted a new roadmap, with an implementation timetable. It covers conflict prevention and resolution, mediation, preventive diplomacy, the fight against terrorism, the proliferation of small arms, transhumance, climate change, maritime insecurity and hate speech.
On the economic side, ECCAS is pursuing the building of a common market and the coordination of sectoral policies, notably energy, with a unit in charge of regional electricity regulation. In October 2026, the community celebrated its 43rd anniversary.