Nigeria and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the Confederation of Sahel States (AES) have agreed to establish joint thematic working groups to develop a comprehensive framework for future cooperation between the two regional blocs.
The agreement was reached at the inaugural session of the Ministerial Dialogue on Cooperation between ECOWAS and AES, held on Saturday, October 17, 2026, in Dakar, Senegal.
In a statement signed by the spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Oluwafemi Adeniyi, Nigeria reaffirmed its determination to work with regional partners towards a balanced and realistic cooperation framework that safeguards the sovereignty, dignity and well-being of all West African citizens.
Nigeria’s Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Sola Enikanolaiye, who participated in the meeting, described the dialogue as strategically important to Nigeria and the wider West African sub-region.
He emphasised the shared geographical, historical, cultural and social ties among the peoples of ECOWAS and the AES countries, stressing the need to leverage these connections to address common regional challenges.
According to him, such challenges include the management of the free movement of persons, goods and services, insecurity and terrorism, inadequate infrastructure, poverty and food insecurity.
Enikanolaiye said sustained engagement and cooperation among the countries remained essential to strengthening regional integration and addressing emerging threats to peace, security and economic development.
Highlighting Nigeria’s commitment to rebuilding bilateral relations with the Sahelian countries, the minister disclosed that the Federal Government was taking proactive steps to revive dormant Joint Commissions between Nigeria and Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso.
He said the initiative was aimed at revitalising direct bilateral cooperation, promoting economic integration and strengthening security partnerships with the three countries.
The meeting agreed that the joint thematic working groups would undertake technical exchanges and share perspectives on identified areas of mutual interest to facilitate the development of a comprehensive cooperation framework agreement to guide future relations between ECOWAS and the AES.
The session was attended by the foreign ministers of the three AES member countries, alongside the Chair of the ECOWAS Council of Ministers, Mr Cheikh Niang, Senegal’s Minister of African Integration, Foreign Affairs and Senegalese Abroad.
Also in attendance was the Coordinator of the AES Council of Ministers, Mr Karamoko Jean-Marie Traoré, Burkina Faso’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Regional Cooperation and Burkinabe Abroad.
At the conclusion of the meeting, the participating delegations expressed appreciation to Senegalese President Bassirou Diomaye Diakhar Faye, who chairs the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government, as well as the government and people of Senegal, for hosting the session and providing a conducive atmosphere for the discussions.
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