The Council of Ministers of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) is set to hold an Extraordinary Session from April 22 to 23, 2025, in Accra, Ghana, to deliberate on the formal withdrawal of Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger from the regional bloc.
According to a statement by Mr. Joel Ahofodji, Director of Communications at the ECOWAS Commission, the session will focus on the modalities of the withdrawal process and its implications for ECOWAS institutions and agencies operating in the departing member states.
Ahofodji added that the meeting will also address other pressing regional matters, while a source within ECOWAS disclosed that the ministers are expected to endorse a contingency plan of engagement to conclude the exit process of the three nations.
This endorsement will pave the way for negotiations on future relations between ECOWAS and the Alliance of Sahel States (AES), the new regional bloc formed by Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger.
Both sides have reportedly assembled negotiation teams to begin discussions on full disengagement and explore possibilities for future collaboration, especially around trade and the free movement of people.
The move comes after the expiration of a one-year withdrawal notice issued by the three countries in January 2024, which took effect in January 2025.
Despite a six-month grace period granted by the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government for possible reconsideration, recent developments indicate the trio are firm on their decision to leave.
In a related development, no fewer than 130 citizens of the three countries working with ECOWAS institutions have received disengagement letters.
The termination, scheduled for September, is in line with Article 53 of the ECOWAS Staff Regulations, which stipulates that nationals of a country that withdraws from the community can no longer be employed by its institutions.
ECOWAS had previously allowed them to continue working as a gesture of goodwill.
A reliable source in the Commission told The Nation that about 130 thereabout have been disengaged and they have till 30th September to exit the institution.
Also, one of the affected staff who also confirmed the report said they have been issued their letter of disengagement.
The staff who do not want to be mentioned in the print said they have been issued their letter with a September terminal date for all of them.”
The source said all of them from the three affected countries are expected to leave their job by September.
Announcing the official withdrawal of the AES countries, the President of the ECOWAS Commission, Dr. Omar Alieu Touray said: “The withdrawal of Burkina Faso, the Republic of Mali and the Republic of Niger from ECOWAS has become effective today, 29th January 2025.”
He said the next step would be the exit negotiations which would involve ECOWAS and the three countries.
For the meantime, ECOWAS said that passports and identity cards bearing its logo will remain valid for travel within the region for citizens from the three countries.
He also said trade and economic activities will also proceed under the existing ECOWAS Trade Liberalisation Scheme, allowing goods and services from the three countries to move freely.
He explained: “These arrangements will be in place until the full determination of the modalities of our future arrangements to the three countries by the ECOWAS authority of head of state and government.”
Touray said the pull out of the three countries represents a blight on ECOWAS integration process.
Touray feared that the exit of the three countries had overshadowed the gains of the regional bloc, especially when it’s marking its 50 years of its existence.
He said the Commission is prepared to commence the modalities for their exit from the bloc and future engagement.
He pointed out that engagement with the three countries will commence as soon as they show commitment, saying that the three countries have already indicated interest to discuss with the Commission.
He said the expected discussions with the three countries would bother on institutional, legal, trade.
In the area of security, Touray said: “It is in our collective interest to work together in all areas, including in the area of security. ECOWAS sees the security of each and every one of us to be closely tied. For that reason, security collaboration will continue at all levels, not only in the ECOWAS States but across the region.”
He stressed: “ECOWAS has shown the whole world, and the community in particular, the value of being a member of ECOWAS. This is the region, the only region on the continent, where with a single ID card you can move from one end to another end. I’m not saying there are no problems, but legally you can move from one end to another end.
“You can pick up your passport, hop on a plane and go anywhere else without having to go through all these visa problems. This is also the region where member states can trade freely among themselves for produce that are qualified under ECOWAS’s trade liberalisation scheme. So this is what we must build on for the benefit of our community, and I believe nobody should have a problem with this.”
But the AES countries have taken some actions that seem to be incompatible with the ECOWAS approach.
Only recently, AES announced a 0.05 tariff on all goods coming into their region.
The three countries have also dumped the ECOWAS passport for the AES passport for its citizens.
