ECOWAS exit by Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger weakened regional integration -Presidency

From Molly Kilete, Abuja

The Federal Government has said the withdrawal of Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) weakened regional integration and mechanisms promoting the free movement of goods and services across West Africa.

Special Adviser to the President on Media and Public Communications, Sunday Dare, stated this on Thursday at the opening of a one-day management and regional cooperation conference and the 2nd Policy Colloquium organised by the Ministry of Defence in collaboration with Saban Media Services.

Dare said the withdrawal of the three Sahelian countries in 2025 created a major crisis for regional cooperation and weakened existing mechanisms designed to promote economic integration.

He said the development also contributed to the emergence of the Alliance of Sahel States (AES), comprising Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger, creating an alternative regional bloc and challenging established instruments and protocols for cooperation in West Africa.

“The rupture that came in 2025 when the countries pulled out of ECOWAS created a major regional crisis. That pullout from ECOWAS simply blunted the ECOWAS protocol that promoted integration, free movement of goods and services,” Dare said.

He added that the emergence of AES had further complicated regional cooperation.

“It eventually led to the creation of AES, another counter-regional body to ECOWAS. But it also challenged the other instruments and protocols that we have for regional cooperation,” he said.

Dare stressed the importance of effective border management to regional economic integration and security, warning that poorly managed borders could facilitate insecurity and instability.

According to him, border management must strike a balance between facilitating legitimate economic activities and protecting national and regional security.

The presidential aide also rejected claims by former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar that Nigeria’s borders were closed.

He urged politicians not to turn border security into an electoral issue, insisting that the country’s borders remained open but under the control of relevant security and regulatory agencies.

“The Interior Minister has stated the facts. Nigeria’s borders are open. And let me say for a fact, when it comes to the stability of our borders, when it comes to security, it should not be an arena of politicking or an arena to seek votes or to score cheap political points,” he said.

Dare explained that an open border did not mean the absence of controls, as immigration, customs and other security agencies remained responsible for regulating movement.

“Our borders are critical. There are no open borders without controls. So you must understand there is a distinction,” he added.

The withdrawal of Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger from ECOWAS took effect in January 2025 following prolonged tensions between the military-led governments and the regional bloc.