The 66th summit of the Economic Community of West African States got underway with Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger notably absent, with the Authority of Heads of State and Government of ECOWAS giving the 3 countries six months, from January 29 to July 29, 2025, to reconsider their decision to exit the regional bloc.
These three coup-hit nations have severed ties with the bloc, accusing it of unfair coup-related sanctions.
President of the ECOWAS Commission, Dr. Omar Touray, announced the six-month grace on Sunday in Abuja after the 66th Ordinary Session of the Authority of ECOWAS Heads of State and Government. Among the topics discussed at the summit were regional security challenges and the payment of community levy by member states.
Ministers were also expected to discuss the implementation of the ECOWAS trade liberalisation scheme, which entails the free movement of people and goods.
Currently headed by Nigeria, ECOWAS is more important than ever, with the region’s stability being thrown into danger by coups and security crises.
With around a dozen members, including Benin, Ivory Coast, Ghana, and the Gambia, the bloc was founded in 1975. It has since become the region’s leading political authority.
Meanwhile Nigeria has paid N85.54bn in ECOWAS levy backlog after 19 years. Nigeria has also fulfilled its financial obligations to the regional body with the payment of 100% of its community levy for 2023.
The payment, amounting to $54 million, also included the levy for 2024 up to July. The announcement was made by the President of the ECOWAS Commission, Dr. Omar Touray, during the Summit.
ECOWAS leaders also commended the exemplary diplomatic engagement of President Bassirou Diomaye Faye of Senegal and President Faure Gnassingbé of Togo, as well as the diplomatic efforts of the Chairman of the Authority of ECOWAS, President Bola Tinubu, and other individual member states toward the three countries.
In his closing remarks, President Tinubu commended the ECOWAS Heads of State and Government for spirited discussions throughout the Summit. He noted that the collective resolve underscored their strength to address the region’s pressing challenges.