The Economic Community Of West African States (ECOWAS or CEDEAO in French) was created on May 28, 1975 in Lagos, Nigeria. Its mission is to promote economic integration in all fields of economic activity with the establishment of a West African economic union as an ultimate goal. ECOWAS aim is to improve the living standard of the people, ensuring economic growth and strengthening relations between its sixteen Member States. These include Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, Cote d'Ivoire, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, and Togo.