The following are reasons why some West African countries adopt the unitary system of government while others do not:
(i) Tribal differences: Unitary system of government is best practised in a country where people are homogenous in character and there are no sharp differences in religion, race, language, etc.
(ii) Size of the country: It is best practised in a small country. For e.g Ghana, Benin Republic, etc.
(iii) Loyalty to the central government: Unitary system works in a country where the citizens show loyalty to the central government.
(iv) No fear of domination: If different sections of the country do not have to entertain any form of fear of domination, unitary is a better option for them.
(v) Common language and culture: These factors can give rise to the adoption of a unitary state. The reason is that the people see one another as of one identity and no division among them.
(vi) Absence of Minority groups: A country where the issue of minority is not in question, unitary system can work well there.
(vii) Not-too-defined economic inequalities: This has the capacity of removing fears of economic exploitation and domination and unitary option will work very well in such a system.