ECOWAS Council of Ministers meets in Accra over withdrawal of Niger, Mali, Burkina Faso

The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Council of Ministers has convened an extraordinary meeting in Accra, Ghana, to address the formal withdrawal of Niger, Mali, and Burkina Faso from the regional bloc.

This was disclosed by the Chairman of the Council and Nigeria’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Yusuf Tuggar, in a statement released by his Special Assistant on Media and Communications Strategy, Alkasim Abdulkadir.

According to the statement, the meeting followed directives from the Authority of Heads of State and Government during its 66th Ordinary Session, which mandated the Council to adopt a clear framework and contingency plan for managing the exit of the three Sahelian countries.

The ECOWAS Commission is expected to present several memoranda at the meeting, covering the withdrawal process, suspension of ongoing programmes in the affected countries, and challenges surrounding the free movement of people, goods, and services in the region. Another key item on the agenda is the possible relocation of ECOWAS institutions and agencies currently based in Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger to avoid disruptions to regional operations.

Ambassador Tuggar acknowledged the difficulty of the situation, noting that it was never ECOWAS’s intention to deliberate on the departure of any member state. “In recognising the sovereignty of these nations under their current military governments, we must now adapt and chart a forward-looking path,” he said.

He urged ministers attending the session to embrace institutional reforms and renew their commitment to regional integration, describing ECOWAS as the most integrated regional bloc in Africa, built on harmonised policies and a shared vision for political, economic, and security cooperation.

“As we look ahead, our responsibility is to maintain the ECOWAS legacy and pass it on stronger to the next generation. Our unity has been tested before, and we emerged stronger. We will do so again,” Tuggar stated.

The chairman also called for constructive and meaningful deliberations that would guarantee the smooth and effective implementation of the withdrawal process. He reminded participants that ECOWAS remains the best platform for addressing West Africa’s collective challenges, noting that “membership, as the saying goes, has its privileges.”

Ambassador Tuggar thanked the government and people of Ghana for their warm hospitality in hosting the crucial meeting, which was held alongside the inauguration of the “ECOWAS@50” celebrations. He described the commemorative activities as a timely reflection on the bloc’s past achievements and future aspirations.

It would be recalled that on January 29, 2024, Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger formally exited ECOWAS following tensions with the regional body. The military-led governments of the three nations had earlier in September 2023 formed their own security alliance known as the Alliance of Sahel States.

With their departure, ECOWAS now consists of 12 member states.