Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger have announced a 0.5% levy on imported goods from Nigeria and other Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) member countries, as part of efforts to fund their new three-state union following their exit from the regional bloc.
The levy, which was agreed upon on Friday and takes immediate effect, will apply to all goods imported from outside the three countries, excluding humanitarian aid. According to a joint statement from the three nations, the levy will help finance the activities of their new union, although no further details were provided.
This move marks the end of free trade across West Africa, a longstanding arrangement under ECOWAS, and underscores the growing divide between the three desert-bordering nations and influential democracies such as Nigeria and Ghana.
The three countries, each ruled by military juntas that seized power through coups in 2023, formed the Alliance of Sahel States after leaving ECOWAS. Initially a security pact, the alliance has since evolved into an economic union aiming to enhance military and financial cooperation, including plans to introduce biometric passports.
Last year, the trio exited ECOWAS, citing the bloc’s inadequate support in combating Islamist insurgencies and addressing security concerns. In response, ECOWAS imposed economic, political, and financial sanctions on the three countries in an attempt to pressure them into returning to constitutional rule, with little success.
