The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) aims to create a monetary union by 2020, similar to the European Union. However, past European monetary unions failed due to political and economic differences. The current European Union is also facing instability. Analysis shows that West African economies may not meet the criteria for a successful monetary union, which could lead to crises. To prevent this, ECOWAS countries must meet certain criteria before joining the union, and governments should focus on political will and fiscal discipline.