President John Mahama of Ghana has said that the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) is still engaging with its members, now in the Alliance of Sahel States.
Briefing the Chairman of ECOWAS and Nigerian President Bola Tinubu on his recent negotiations with the military juntas of Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso at the State House, Abuja on Thursday, President Mahama said that talks had been complicated and that the bloc would “continue to dialogue” with the AES.
He said that the visits allowed him to gather issues of concern that needed further discussion.
Mahama explained that it is his responsibility to brief the Chairman of ECOWAS, and fellow regional leaders and ensure continued dialogue with the Sahelian states.
“I came to thank him for the honour done me during my inauguration but also to brief him on the visits to the Sahealean countries Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger and to bring him up to date with some of the issues and to discuss with him.
“As ECOWAS chairman, it’s my duty to come and brief him on some of the concerns raised there so that we continue to dialogue with those other countries,” Mahama stated.
Speaking on his mission to the three countries, Mahama said: “It’s a complicated situation, and it’s not as easy as we think. We just need to continue to dialogue and see how we can continue to dialogue together.”
In his speech at the meeting, President Tinubu reaffirmed that the welfare of innocent citizens must remain at the heart of all regional efforts to rebuild relations with estranged members of the ECOWAS.
“The citizens must be the first beneficiary and the first point of reasoning together,” he said.
It will be recalled that at the 66th Ordinary Session of the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government last December, it approved a six-month transition period – January 29 until July 29, 2025, after which it would engage withdrawal protocol of Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso as member states of the regional body.
GIK/APA