Presidency: Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger Exit Weakens ECOWAS Integration

The Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Media and Public Communications, Sunday Dare, has said the withdrawal of Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger from ECOWAS triggered a major regional crisis and weakened key mechanisms for regional integration.

The three countries formally withdrew in January 2025 and subsequently consolidated their cooperation under the Alliance of Sahel States.

A Rupture That Shook West Africa

ValidViewNetwork gathered that the Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Media and Public Communications, Sunday Dare, has said the withdrawal of Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) triggered a major regional crisis and weakened key mechanisms for regional integration.

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Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger formally withdrew from ECOWAS in January 2025 after announcing their intention to leave the bloc in 2024.

The three countries subsequently consolidated their cooperation under the Alliance of Sahel States (AES).

“Blunted the ECOWAS Protocol”Speaking at a policy colloquium organised by the Ministry of Defence on Thursday in Abuja, Dare said the exit of the three Sahelian countries from the regional bloc blunted the ECOWAS protocols designed to promote economic integration and the free movement of goods and services.

“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 and the free movement of goods and services,” Dare said.

“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 added.

Borders and Security

Dare linked effective border management to both economic integration and regional security, stressing that borders served as the frontline for protecting regional stability.

“My research, which bordered at the same time the opportunity of regional cooperation, also, it serves as the front line for regional security,” he said.

He added that proper border management could facilitate economic integration, while poor management could contribute to instability.

Borders Are Open, But Controlled

Dare also dismissed claims that Nigeria’s borders were closed, warning politicians against turning border security into an issue for electoral campaigns.

“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.

He stressed that open borders did not mean uncontrolled borders, noting that immigration, customs and other security agencies remained responsible for regulating movements across the country’s borders.

A Lesson for Nigerian Youths

The exit of these three countries from ECOWAS is a warning about the fragility of regional integration. When nations turn inward, everyone suffers.

The same politicians who speak of African unity will never allow their own children to experience the consequences of regional fragmentation. Their children are protected.

Support regional cooperation. Demand stronger integration. And never forget that our future is tied to the future of our neighbours.