Nigeria’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Tuggar, has expressed optimism that Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger three Sahel nations that recently withdrew from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) will soon return to the regional bloc.
Tuggar made this statement while receiving the Speaker of the ECOWAS Parliament, Memounatou Ibrahima, and her delegation during a courtesy visit in Abuja. The visit was part of efforts to strengthen intergovernmental relations and promote democratic governance as ECOWAS prepares to mark its 25th anniversary in November.
The minister reassured that Nigeria and other member states have not closed the door on the return of the three countries. He emphasized that these nations are integral to the region and that their rejoining ECOWAS is only a matter of time. “We are encouraging them to come back. As we keep saying, we have not closed the door on their return, we are confident that they will return because they are part and parcel of the region, it is just a matter of time,” Tuggar stated.
He also called on the media to focus less on the negative aspects of their exit and instead highlight positive developmental projects within the subregion, such as the West African Power Pool, ECOWAS Trade Liberalisation Scheme, and major transport corridors.
Speaker Ibrahima, for her part, updated the minister on the activities of the ECOWAS Parliament and its plans to enhance its legislative role within the community.
The three Sahel countries withdrew from ECOWAS earlier this year following political tensions and military coups, but ongoing diplomatic efforts signal hope for their reintegration.
