Faced with weak trade between Sahelian countries, the authorities of the Alliance of Sahel States (AES) intend to
accelerate economic integration in order to better leverage regional potential and stimulate intra-confederation growth.
During the Council of Ministers meeting on January 7, 2026, the Malian authorities reviewed the progress of economic development project of the Confederation of Sahel States, a regional initiative uniting Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger.
The stated objective is to strengthen economic integration among the three countries, in a context marked by weak intra-regional trade.
According to several international sources, trade between African countries remains limited. According to the African Trade Report 2024 by the African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank), intra-African trade represented approximately 15% of the continent’s total exports in 2023, a level significantly lower than that observed in other regions of the world, particularly in Europe (nearly 68%) and Asia (approximately 59%).
In West Africa, despite the existence of regional frameworks such as ECOWAS and UEMOA, intra-community trade remains limited.
According to analyses by UN-DESA and Tralac (Trade Law Centre), the share of West African intra-regional trade is generally estimated at between 10% and 15% of the total trade volume, depending on the year and calculation methods, which confirms the persistent weakness of trade integration in the sub-region.
In West Africa, trade in goods between member states of the West African Economic and Monetary Union (UEMOA) reached approximately 3,063.7 billion CFA francs in 2021, or nearly 5 billion US dollars, according to a report published by Agence Ecofin (2022).
This amount corresponds to intra-UEMOA trade flows and represents a significant share of regional trade, although the Union’s total exports over the same period were estimated at 20,466 billion CFA francs. However,
bilateral trade flows between Sahelian countries remain modest, particularly between Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger, illustrating a still fragmented economic integration. The authorities of the Economic and Social Agency (AES) believe that this situation limits the ability of Sahelian economies to capitalize on their geographical proximity, their agricultural and industrial complementarities, and the size of their potential market. They also highlight the burden of administrative barriers, the lack of harmonization of trade rules, and the weak coordination of economic policies.
Faced with this situation, the AES member states have initiated a process aimed at structuring a common economic framework.
Discussions focus in particular on the progressive harmonization of trade and industrial policies, facilitating the movement of goods and people, and strengthening the role of the private sector in economic policymaking.
Within this framework, the authorities have approved the establishment of a public-private dialogue mechanism at the confederation level, designed to more closely involve businesses, chambers of commerce, and professional organisations in the ongoing reforms.
An Alliance of ESA Chambers of Commerce and Industry has also been created to structure private sector representation and promote coordination among economic actors in the three countries.
Agricultural cooperation is among the priority areas. Agreements have been reached between the grain boards of member countries to improve the coordination of storage and trade policies for strategic products.
According to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), intra-regional food trade in West Africa is estimated at around $10 billion per year, a volume considered lower than the region’s potential.
The AES authorities also adopted a matrix of recommendations to be implemented by 2026 and established a monitoring and evaluation committee to address the difficulties often observed in regional integration initiatives, particularly regarding the practical implementation of decisions.
The AES is taking place within a context of political and economic realignment in West Africa, following the questioning of certain existing regional frameworks. For its proponents, the initiative aims to build closer economic cooperation between countries facing common challenges related to development, security, and economic sovereignty.
The Malian authorities indicated that the next steps will involve translating the adopted guidelines into operational measures, with an emphasis on institutional coordination and the involvement of economic actors, in order to stimulate trade within the Sahel region.
MD/ac/Sf/fss/as/APA