In order to discuss the formal withdrawal of Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), the Council of Ministers of ECOWAS is scheduled to convene an Extraordinary Session in Accra, Ghana, from April 22 to 23, 2025.
The session will concentrate on the withdrawal process’s procedures and the consequences for ECOWAS agencies and institutions functioning in the departing member nations, according to a statement released by Mr. Joel Ahofodji, Director of Communications at the ECOWAS Commission.
The ministers are anticipated to approve a backup plan of engagement to wrap up the three countries’ withdrawal process, according to an ECOWAS source, while Ahofodji noted that the conference will also cover other urgent regional issues.
The Alliance of Sahel States (AES), a new regional alliance made up of Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger, will negotiate future relations with ECOWAS after its support.
The action was taken in January 2025, following the expiration of a one-year withdrawal notice that the three nations had submitted in January 2024.
Negotiation teams have apparently been created by both parties to start talks on complete disengagement and look into potential future cooperation, particularly in the areas of trade and free movement of people.
Recent events suggest the three remain certain about their choice to depart, even though the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government set aside a six-month grace period for potential reconsideration.
A related aspect is that disengagement letters have been sent to at least 130 citizens of the three nations who collaborate with ECOWAS organizations.
ECOWAS had earlier granted them permission to carry on as a courtesy.
About 130 people have been disengaged, according to a trustworthy Commission source who spoke to The Nation. They have until September 30 to leave the organization.
Furthermore, a member of the impacted personnel who verified the claim stated that they had received their letter of disengagement.
The employees who requested not to be named in the print stated that they had all received their letter with a terminal date of September.
According to the source, by September, all of them from the three impacted nations are anticipated to quit their jobs.
“The withdrawal of Burkina Faso, the Republic of Mali, and the Republic of Niger from ECOWAS has become effective today, 29th January 2025,” stated Dr. Omar Alieu Touray, President of the ECOWAS Commission, who announced the AES countries’ official departure.
He stated that ECOWAS and the three nations would engage in exit talks as the next stage.
Passports and identity cards featuring ECOWAS’s insignia will continue to be accepted for travel inside the region for the time being, according to the organization.
Additionally, he stated that the current ECOWAS commercial Liberalization Scheme will continue to conduct economic and commercial operations, permitting the free flow of commodities and services among the three nations.
“These arrangements will remain in place until the ECOWAS authority of the head of state and government fully determines the modalities of our future arrangements to the three countries,” he clarified.
According to Touray, the three countries’ withdrawal is a setback for the ECOWAS integration project.
Touray was worried that the three nations’ departure had overshadowed the regional bloc’s accomplishments, particularly as it marks 50 years of existence.
“The Commission is ready to start the process of their exit from the bloc and future engagement,” he said.
He stated that the three nations have already expressed interest in speaking with the Commission and that engagement with them would start as soon as they demonstrate commitment.
He stated that institutional, legal, and trade issues would be discussed in the anticipated talks with the three nations.
“ECOWAS has demonstrated the value of membership to the entire world, and to the community in particular,” he emphasized. Only in this region may you travel from one end of the continent to the other using a single ID card. Moving from one end to the other is legal, however I’m not claiming there aren’t any issues. Touray stated: “It is in our collective interest to work together in all areas, including in the area of security.” The security of all of us is strongly linked, according to ECOWAS. The ECOWAS States and the region as a whole will thus continue to collaborate on security at all levels.
“With your passport in hand, you can board an aircraft and travel anywhere else without encountering any visa issues. Additionally, this is the area where member states are free to trade produce that meets the requirements of ECOWAS’s trade liberalization program. We must thus build upon this for the good of our community, and I don’t think anyone should object to that.
However, the ECOWAS strategy appears to be irreconcilable with certain acts performed by the AES nations.
AES just said that all items entering their jurisdiction would be subject to a tax of 0.05.
The ECOWAS passport has also been replaced by the AES passport for its citizens in all three nations.
Also Read:
Priscilla Ojo rovokes Internet Outrage By Unfollowing Beauty Goddess Due To Her Wedding Snub.
