Sahel-ECOWAS impasse: Experts concerned for trade and security

The stalemate between ECOWAS and the Sahelian countries of Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger lingers on, causing further apprehension among citizens within and outside of the economic community.

Recent efforts by ECOWAS demonstrate some sense of a desire to reconcile, but the question remains: has the bridge been burnt beyond repair or can it be rebuilt?

The communique that emerged out of the just-ended Extraordinary Summit of Heads of State held in Abuja suggests that ECOWAS has extended a hand of friendship to these countries to keep the regional integration dream alive.

To be specific, ECOWAS has lifted sanctions on travel and trade while urging the countries in question to “reconsider their decision to withdraw from ECOWAS, given the benefits that all ECOWAS Member States and their citizens enjoy for being part of the Community,” citing socio-economic, political, security and humanitarian consequences of parting ways.

Returning ECOWAS to the fervor of its early years would not be easy; but, regional and security proponents believe it is a worthwhile endeavor.

Three of such individuals are the National President of Borderless Alliance, Ziad Hamoui, the CEO of Africa Trade Academy, Dode Seidu, and renowned Security Analyst Dr. Adam Bonaa who discussed the unfortunate turn of events in West Africa on the award-winning Eye on Port television program ahead of the meeting in Abuja.

They collectively expressed disappointment at the management of the situation on both ends, lamenting the damage caused to regional efforts to promote trade and tighten security.

While the head of Ghana’s wing for trade advocacy group, Borderless Alliance, Mr. Hamoui, empathized with why the three countries feel disenfranchised in the regional community, he still urged them to take a conservative approach as they consider severing ties with the bloc.

“Keep in mind that, in the longer term these three countries are landlocked. There's nothing that they can do that can change this fact. A landlocked country will rely on the coastal countries for its normal functioning in the import and export of raw materials. Critical components for food, life, and health will thrive on the assumption of a healthy relationship between the coastal countries and the landlocked countries,” he highlighted.

In the meantime, Mr. Hamoui said his outfit had advised the trading community to keep their ears on the ground and tarry awhile when it comes to sending goods across these countries until the situation becomes clear.

He said it is pretty disappointing how events have unfolded at ECOWAS considering that the community was preparing to enter celebratory mode this year.

“In December during the Heads of State Summit, the discussions were all centered on how near we are to celebrating 50 years of ECOWAS in 2025 and how 2023 will be a year of celebrations in the run-up to the 50 years. There was also talk about Accra hosting a summit about free movement,” he said.

The National President of Borderless Alliance urged ECOWAS to do all it can to reintegrate these countries into the community as it serves the interest of both parties and keep the momentum for the socio-economic and political integration of West Africa.

Trade expert, Dode Seidu was also of the opinion that the ongoing events set back Pan-African efforts including the African Continental Free Trade Area.

“The AfCFTA negotiations and implementation are built on the achievements of the regional economic communities so if a part of the regional bloc has been chipped or is being chipped off it affects how the bloc is represented and how it can participate effectively in the AfCFTA trade. Also, the harmony of the regional blocs is an indicator of the strength of the trade. In a nutshell, these developments have not augured well for the continental efforts coming from ECOWAS,” he explained.

He said the coup d’états in the Sahel generally created a disabling environment for the security of trade which was further worsened by sanctions placed on those countries.

Consequently, this had a telling impact on the participation of the aforementioned countries in future trade negotiations within the ECOWAS community and Africa at large.

The Chief Executive Officer of Africa Trade Academy said considering that 8% of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and being a major commodity source in the region, separation from the bloc will bear negative consequences for both parties.

More seriously, security analyst Dr. Adam Bonaa said the impact of recent developments on the security outlook of the region is more threatening than it seems. He was very critical of the initial Tinubu-led attempt to resort to military interventions following the coup d’état in Niger, insinuating that was the event that added more salt to the wounds of the countries involved.

He said regional initiatives and projects undertaken to tighten security are left in a vulnerable state due to the standoff between ECOWAS and the Sahelian countries.

Dr. Bonaa bemoaned that the Accra Initiative, aimed at preventing the spillover of terrorism from the Sahel and addressing transnational organized crime and violent extremism in member countries' border areas, “is on its knees” as a result of these developments.

“I am on the board of the Small Arms Commission on Light Weapons representing civil society. Several treaties have been signed and these countries that seeded are part of the treaties signed within ECOWAS. The moment they wrote that they've ceded, technically it means that these treaties don't work and one of the treaties has to do with arms trade. So if you were in Niger and you wanted to import Firearms the treaty says that all the other countries would have to know what you are importing, the number, and other details. If they disagree you can't bring them in and the reason is that one country cannot arm against the other. With these countries having ceded, do we know what they have coming in? So now we are all endangered species,” he lamented.

He argued that for years, there appeared to be a disconnect between the decisions of ECOWAS and the needs of its citizens, leading to unsatisfactory results in the implementation of certain policies and action plans.

The Security Analyst says the ECOWAS Commission and the Authority of Heads of States moving forward must reorient themselves and govern with an inclusive approach, taking into consideration the views of the average citizen, civil society, traders, and experts.