<p>Research Dataset.</p>

The study examines the effect of monetary policy and trade openness on economic growth in the ECOWAS countries. Using panel regression analysis and the Random Forest algorithm from the machine learning technique, the study reveals the existence of a major difference between the two language communities. The expansion of the broad money supply has a highly positive effect on economic growth in the two language communities; the impact is much greater in the Francophone countries. But trade openness has contradictory associations; it is positive in the Francophone countries and negative in the Anglophone countries. The Random Forest approach outperforms the standard econometric approach in terms of predictive accuracy (R² = 67.56%), thereby confirming the existence of non-linear associations. The evidence of major differences is linked to the existence of different post-colonial institutions; that is, the common CFA currency institutions in the Francophone countries and the independent national monetary policies in the Anglophone countries. The study implies that ECOWAS countries require distinct policies instead of standard policies.本研究考察西非国家经济共同体（ECOWAS）成员国中，货币政策与贸易开放度对经济增长的影响效应。本研究采用面板回归分析与机器学习技术中的随机森林（Random Forest）算法，研究结果显示两类语言社群间存在显著差异：广义货币供应量扩张对两类语言社群的经济增长均具有高度正向影响，且该效应在法语区国家中更为显著；但贸易开放度的影响呈现矛盾性关联，在法语区国家表现为正向影响，而在英语区国家则为负向影响。相较于标准计量经济学方法，随机森林算法的预测精度更优（R²=67.56%），从而证实了变量间存在非线性关联。这类显著差异的成因可归结为战后殖民制度的不同：法语区国家共享非洲金融共同体（CFA）货币体系，而英语区国家则拥有独立的国家货币政策。本研究表明，西非国家经济共同体成员国需制定差异化政策，而非推行统一的标准政策。