By Kolawole Ojebisi
The Economic Community of West African States member states will meet in Ghana on Tuesday to discuss the decision of the three of its members to exit the regional bloc.
The three members who recently signalled their withdrawal from ECOWAS are: Niger, Mali, and Burkina Faso.
The meeting will take place over two days, Tuesday and Wednesday.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, the bloc said member states will discuss the modalities of the countries’ withdrawal and its implications for ECOWAS agencies in the countries.
The bloc also said it would “set up a structure to facilitate discussions on these modalities with each of the three countries.”
However, ECOWAS member states will be discussing their relationship with the three countries today in Accra.
“The session is being held to deliberate on the withdrawal of Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger from the regional bloc.
“Key items on the agenda include the modalities of the withdrawal process and the implications for ECOWAS Institutions and Agencies operating in the three countries. The session will also address other related matters of regional importance,” it said.
Three weeks ago, the junta-led states, under the Alliance of Sahel States, imposed a 0.5 per cent import duty on goods from ECOWAS.
The levy applies to all goods from ECOWAS countries entering any of the three nations, except for humanitarian aid.
The policy countered ECOWAS’s intention of ensuring free movement of goods between its members and the AES countries despite their official exit from the bloc in January.
