West Africa Ivory Coast, and a succession of military coups in Ghana and Burkina Faso. Since the end of colonialism, the region has been the stage for some brutal conflicts, including: The Economic Community of West African States, established in May 1975, has defined the region of West Africa since 1999 as including the following 15 states: Geopolitically, the United Nations definition of Western Africa includes the preceding states with the addition of Mauritania (which withdrew from ECOWAS in 1999), comprising an area of approximately 6.1 million square km. The UN region also includes the island of Saint Helena, a British overseas
Ghana–South Africa relations Ghana–South Africa relations Ghana–South Africa relations refers to the historical and current relationship of the Republic of Ghana and the Republic of South Africa. Both countries are former British colonies and members of the African Union and Commonwealth of Nations. Following the end of the apartheid regime in South Africa in 1994 and the first democratic elections in Ghana in 1992, trade grew extensively with the establishment of bilateral relations. In 2005, the South African Institute of International Affairs reported that South African investors called Ghana a "beacon of hope" in West Africa and the volume of trade between the