GHANA’S President John Mahama is spearheading a new round of diplomacy aimed at mending ties between ECOWAS and the breakaway Alliance of Sahel States (AES), comprising Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger. In a bold move, Mahama has extended formal invitations to the military rulers of the three countries to attend a special ECOWAS summit in Accra, set for next week.
The summit, which brings together foreign and finance ministers from across West Africa, coincides with the launch of ECOWAS’s year-long 50th anniversary celebrations. But the celebrations are clouded by regional fragmentation, sparked by the withdrawal of the AES countries earlier this year.
Speaking at a press conference in Accra Thursday, Ghana’s Foreign Affairs Minister, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, confirmed Mahama’s outreach and explained the significance of hosting the leaders.
‘All ECOWAS heads of state have been invited, including the AES leaders,’ said Ablakwa. ‘Because of their withdrawal, the Ghanaian president alone bears responsibility for their invitations. But this is in the spirit of goodwill, reconciliation, and the hope of reintegration.’
According to Ablakwa, Mahama faced no resistance from his ECOWAS counterparts in extending the invitation — a signal that there remains regional appetite for dialogue despite mounting political tensions.
Strategic stakes beyond symbolism
Beyond the optics of reunification, Mahama’s engagement with the AES leaders is also rooted in pragmatism. Ghana shares a direct border with Burkina Faso and maintains deep historical and economic ties with all three Sahelian nations. These landlocked neighbours provide Ghana with vital agricultural imports — particularly vegetables and onions.
‘There is more at stake than diplomacy,’ said analyst Blessed Sogah told JOY News in Accra. ‘Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger play a key role in Ghana’s food security and trade. Mahama’s outreach is as much about Ghana’s strategic interests as it is about ECOWAS unity.’
The move, however, has stirred debate. Ghana has long positioned itself as a regional beacon of democracy. Critics warn that extending overtures to military juntas could weaken ECOWAS’s credibility in pushing for constitutional order across West Africa, which has witnessed a spike in military coups over the past four years.
Still, ECOWAS appears to be leaving the door open. Despite the AES bloc’s declaration of independence, ECOWAS officially acknowledged their withdrawal in December 2024 and later, in January 2025, agreed to keep a diplomatic window open until the end of June.
ECOWAS seeks to avoid dependency vacuum
At a recent high-level policy dialogue hosted by the West African Network for Peacebuilding (WANEP), experts and diplomats expressed concern over the geopolitical realignment in the region.
Ambassador Abdel-Fatau Musah, ECOWAS Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace and Security, warned that West Africa is slipping into a cycle of foreign dependency, swapping old allegiances for new ones without resolving root causes.
‘You chase France out, then you welcome Russia,’ Musah said. ‘This isn’t sustainable. ECOWAS never closed its doors to collaboration — on security or humanitarian matters. Until their withdrawal, these countries were still involved in regional initiatives like the Accra Initiative.’
Musah also recalled past efforts to establish a Sahel strategy dating back to 2007, which were rejected by the Sahelian states, revealing long-standing tensions between the core ECOWAS bloc and the region’s northern tier.
A fragile window for reconnection
President Mahama has briefed ECOWAS Chair Bola Tinubu on his diplomatic overtures and is expected to deliver a full report at the next heads of state meeting. ECOWAS leaders, including the presidents of Togo and Senegal, are currently leading broader reconciliation talks with the AES bloc.
While the military rulers of Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger remain firm on building their future through the AES, the fact that the door remains open — and that Ghana is playing host — keeps hopes alive for a future reunification, however redefined.
‘We are one people with shared culture and heritage,’ said Minister Ablakwa. ‘There is more that binds us than divides us. We didn’t draw these borders — and we have a responsibility to overcome them.’
Whether Mahama’s initiative succeeds in pulling the Sahelian trio back into the fold remains to be seen. But for now, Ghana is placing itself at the centre of West Africa’s most critical geopolitical challenge: keeping the region whole.
