The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) maritime domain (EMD) comprises the adjacent Atlantic Ocean, islands, estuaries, lagoons, archipelagos, deltas, wetlands, creeks, coral reefs, mangrove forests, sandy beaches, and dunes, as well as inland waterways such as lakes, rivers, falls, dams and streams, which are the lifeblood of the Community.

Collectively, 11 of the 15 ECOWAS member states have a 2,868 nautical mile coastline on the Atlantic Ocean – a vast and diverse region that stretches from the sandy deserts of northern Senegal bordering Mauritania to the north, in the Niger Delta region and bordering Cameroon and Equatorial Guinea to the east.

Although Cabo Verde is the only island ECOWAS member state, all of ECOWAS is affected by or dependent upon the maritime domain.