The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) will sustain a if truth be told crucial meeting in Accra, Ghana, from April 22 to 23, 2025. The session will focal point on the formal withdrawal of Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger from the regional body.
Joel Ahofodji, the Director of Communications at ECOWAS, confirmed that the meeting will focus on the technique and impact of the international locations’ exit. This may well perchance honest also stare upon how this may occasionally even honest impact ECOWAS institutions and businesses in these international locations. Additionally, other crucial regional points will likely be addressed during the session.
A source within ECOWAS acknowledged that the ministers attending will likely approve a understanding for the exit process. This may well perchance honest also position the stage for future talks between ECOWAS and the newly formed Alliance of Sahel States (AES), which includes Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger.
This comes after the three international locations introduced their withdrawal in January 2024, which officially took stop in January 2025. Even supposing ECOWAS gave them six extra months to reconsider, the international locations bask in firmly made up our minds to leave.
Meanwhile, 130 citizens from these international locations working with ECOWAS bask in bought letters informing them of their departure. According to ECOWAS workers solutions, these workers have to leave by September 2025 because they are going to no longer be eligible to work for ECOWAS after their international locations leave.
ECOWAS had initially allowed these workers to stop on as a gesture of goodwill. Nevertheless, with the formal withdrawal happening, they have to leave by September.
Dr. Omar Alieu Touray, the President of the ECOWAS Fee, confirmed that the withdrawal of Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger officially began on January 29, 2025. He acknowledged the following step is to begin formal talks about their exit and future cooperation between ECOWAS and the three international locations.
Touray added that, no topic the withdrawal, ECOWAS will continue working with the AES international locations on alternate, security, and other regional points. He also confirmed that the present system allowing free motion of items and of us will remain in space till current preparations are made.
