Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger have announced a 0.5% levy on imported goods from Nigeria and other member nations of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).
In a joint statement, the three nations revealed that the levy, agreed upon on Friday, would take immediate effect. It will apply to all goods entering their borders from outside the alliance, with the exception of humanitarian aid.
According to the statement, the levy aims to “finance the activities” of their newly formed regional bloc, although no further details were provided.
This move effectively ends free trade within West Africa under ECOWAS and underscores the growing divide between the three landlocked Sahel nations and more established regional powers like Nigeria and Ghana.
Governed by military juntas that seized power in 2023, Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger initially formed the Alliance of Sahel States (AES) as a security pact after their withdrawal from ECOWAS. Over time, the alliance has evolved into an aspiring economic union, with plans for deeper military and financial integration, including the introduction of biometric passports.
The trio left ECOWAS last year, accusing the bloc of failing to adequately support them in combating Islamist insurgencies and tackling internal insecurity. In response, ECOWAS imposed economic, political, and financial sanctions to pressure them into restoring constitutional governance, but the measures have had little effect.
