How the Exit of Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger Impacts ECOWAS Integration
The withdrawal of Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has weakened key regional integration mechanisms and created fresh challenges for cooperation across West Africa, the Nigerian Presidency has said.
Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Media and Public Communications, Sunday Dare, disclosed this on Thursday at a policy colloquium organised by the Ministry of Defence in Abuja.
The three Sahelian countries formally withdrew from ECOWAS in January 2025, after announcing their intention to leave the regional bloc in 2024. Since then, they have strengthened their cooperation under the Alliance of Sahel States (AES).
Dare said the withdrawal had disrupted important regional mechanisms, particularly ECOWAS protocols designed to promote economic integration and facilitate the movement of goods and services among member states.
“The rupture that came in 2025, when the countries pulled out of ECOWAS, created a major regional crisis,” Dare said.
He noted that the development had also contributed to the emergence of the AES as an alternative regional framework in the Sahel.
The presidential aide also stressed the importance of effective border management to regional economic integration and security.
According to him, well-managed borders can facilitate legitimate trade and movement while strengthening security, whereas weak border controls could create opportunities for criminal activities and other security threats.
Dare further dismissed claims that Nigeria’s borders were closed, saying the country’s borders remained open but were subject to necessary controls by relevant government agencies.
“Nigeria’s borders are open,” he said, while cautioning politicians against turning border security into an electoral issue or using it to score political points.
He explained that open borders should not be interpreted as unrestricted movement, stressing that immigration, customs and other security agencies have a responsibility to regulate activities at the country’s entry and exit points.
“Our borders are critical. There are no open borders without controls. So, you must understand there is a distinction,” Dare said.
