Nigeria’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Yusuf Tuggar, has voiced hope that Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger — the three Sahel nations that recently exited ECOWAS — will soon rejoin the regional bloc.
He made this known on Friday in Abuja during a courtesy visit by the Speaker of the ECOWAS Parliament, Memounatou Ibrahima, who was accompanied by a delegation from the regional legislature.
The visit, organized ahead of the ECOWAS Parliament’s 25th anniversary later this year, aimed to reinforce democratic governance and regional cooperation.
“We will continue to work hard towards the success of ECOWAS and all member states, including the three recently withdrawn ones; we are encouraging them to come back,” Tuggar said.
“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.”
Though Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger have pulled out of ECOWAS, Tuggar emphasized that Nigeria and other members would continue to maintain cooperative ties with them as neighbors, particularly in areas of shared interest.
He also called on the media to shift focus from the political fallout of the withdrawals and instead spotlight the subregion’s economic progress.
“There are many ongoing regional initiatives that deserve more attention,” Tuggar noted, citing examples such as the West African Power Pool, the ECOWAS Trade Liberalisation Scheme, the Abidjan-Lagos and Abidjan-Dakar Corridors — all projects intended to foster economic integration and development.
The minister praised the ECOWAS Parliament as a crucial institution representing the citizens of member states and playing a vital role in promoting constitutional and democratic values.
Earlier, Speaker Ibrahima informed the minister that the delegation’s visit was to brief him on the parliament’s achievements over the past 18 months and its upcoming activities.
“We are working on how we can have some capability and enhancement so that we can have more legislative roles in the ECOWAS community,” she said. “We are looking at how we can support ECOWAS in all their programmes and activities.”
She also shared that the Parliament, founded in 2000, is preparing for its milestone 25th anniversary in November.
Ibrahima was accompanied by the Fourth Deputy Speaker, Billay Tunkara, Secretary General Bertin Some, and other members of the parliament.
