BREAKING: Details Of Tinubu’s Meeting With Ghana President, Mahama In Aso Rock Emerge

The President of Ghana, John Mahama, on Thursday, revealed that the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) is still in dialogue with its estranged members, now part of the Alliance of Sahel States (AES).

However, Mahama acknowledged that talks have become increasingly complex but emphasized that the bloc would continue its efforts to engage with these nations.

Naija News reports that Mahama made this disclosure during a visit to President Bola Tinubu at the State House in Abuja, where he provided an update on his recent visits to the military juntas of Niger, Mali, and Burkina Faso.

According to Mahama, these visits allowed him to gather key issues of concern, which require further discussions and resolutions.

“I came to thank him for the honour done me during my inauguration but also to brief him on the visits to the Sahelian countries—Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger—and to bring him up to date with some of the issues and to discuss with him,” Mahama said.

He emphasized that, as the current Chairman of ECOWAS, it is his responsibility to keep President Tinubu and other regional leaders informed on the situation and to ensure the continuation of dialogue with the AES states.

When asked by journalists whether there was any positive development in the talks, Mahama acknowledged the challenges involved.

“It’s a complicated situation, and it’s not as easy as we think. We just need to continue to dialogue and see how we can continue to dialogue together,” he said, underlining the difficulty of finding a quick resolution.

President Tinubu, for his part, reaffirmed that the welfare of innocent citizens should be the central concern in all efforts to rebuild relations with the estranged ECOWAS members.

“The citizens must be the first beneficiary and the first point of reasoning together,” Tinubu stated during the meeting. He praised Mahama for playing a crucial role in bridging the gap between ECOWAS and the AES, particularly in this delicate phase of negotiations.

Six-Month Transition Period For Sahel States

Tinubu’s comments come as the ECOWAS bloc navigates the six-month transition period, which was approved for the withdrawal of Niger, Mali, and Burkina Faso as member states.

This transition period, which began on January 29, 2025, will last until July 29, 2025, after which ECOWAS will engage the withdrawal protocol.

The President of the ECOWAS Commission, Dr. Omar Touray, had earlier announced this resolution, explaining that the one-year period following the initial notice of withdrawal provided the states time to settle any financial and legal obligations to ECOWAS and its affiliated institutions.

The ECOWAS bloc has also extended the mandates of Senegalese President Bassirou Faye and Togolese President Faure Gnassingbé, who have been leading the mediation efforts with the three withdrawing states since June 2024.

The bloc continues to prioritize diplomatic engagement, aiming to ensure that innocent citizens are not made to bear the consequences of actions taken by military regimes in these countries.

During a meeting with German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier at the State House last December, President Tinubu reiterated Nigeria’s commitment to pursuing diplomatic solutions to resolve the political impasse in Niger, Mali, and Burkina Faso.

He emphasized that while the military juntas were reluctant to clarify transition dates, ECOWAS would focus on the welfare and interests of the citizens affected by the political instability in the region.