The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) will hold an Extraordinary Council meeting later this month to discuss the 0.5% import levy recently introduced by the Alliance of Sahel States (AES) on goods coming from ECOWAS member nations. The meeting is scheduled for April 22, 2025.
Joel Ahofodji, Head of Communications at the ECOWAS Commission, confirmed to our correspondent that the Council will address the levy and other related issues during this session. The AES, an alliance consisting of the military-led governments of Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso, imposed the new import duty on March 28, 2025, as part of efforts to generate revenue.
The levy applies to all goods entering these three nations, with the exception of humanitarian aid. This action contradicts ECOWAS’s goal of fostering free movement of goods within the region, including between ECOWAS members and AES countries, despite their formal exit from the regional bloc in January 2025.
ECOWAS had previously pledged to maintain the liberalization of trade for goods and services under the ECOWAS Trade Liberalisation Scheme, which supports the duty-free, quota-free movement of goods and services across the region.
However, the introduction of the AES’s import duty creates a trade barrier, raising concerns about higher trade costs, disrupted supply chains, and inflated prices in the AES countries. This new tariff undermines the free trade framework ECOWAS had worked to establish.
Relations between ECOWAS and the three AES nations have been strained since early 2024, when the junta governments of Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso withdrew from ECOWAS. The three countries cited ECOWAS’s lack of support in their fight against terrorism and its imposition of sanctions as reasons for their departure. Despite the lifting of sanctions, the countries remain firm in their decision to exit the bloc.
In response to their departure, ECOWAS implemented measures to minimize disruptions for businesses and citizens, including provisions for duty-free trade, visa-free movement, and residence. ECOWAS has also expressed openness to future discussions should the AES countries wish to rejoin the bloc.
Additionally, Niger has officially withdrawn from the Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJTF), a regional military initiative aimed at combating Islamist insurgencies in the Lake Chad region. The MNJTF includes forces from Nigeria, Chad, and Cameroon, and has been operational since 2015.
