In a development seen as a strategic move to sustain regional security cooperation, the Authority of Heads of State and Government of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has granted approval for Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger to join the Inter-Governmental Action Group against Money Laundering in West Africa (GIABA) — but strictly as non-ECOWAS members.
Their admission comes with firm political commitments and strict obligations, requiring the three Sahel states to strengthen their Anti-Money Laundering, Countering the Financing of Terrorism and Countering Proliferation Financing (AML/CFT/CPF) systems, while fully complying with GIABA’s statutes and monitoring processes.
According to a statement issued by GIABA, the decision was endorsed at the 68th Ordinary Session of the ECOWAS Authority held on December 14, 2025, in Abuja, Nigeria, under the chairmanship of Sierra Leone’s President, Julius Maada Bio.
Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger had formally withdrawn from ECOWAS on January 29, 2025, after aligning under the Alliance of Sahel States (AES) confederation — a move that strained relations with the regional bloc but did not eliminate shared concerns over financial crime and regional security.
Before the latest endorsement, GIABA’s Ministerial Committee had already recommended their admission during an Extraordinary Session held in Accra on July 19, 2025, invoking provisions in the GIABA Establishment Statute that permit the inclusion of non-ECOWAS states that meet the required eligibility thresholds.
With this approval, GIABA now counts five non-ECOWAS member states — a roster that also includes São Tomé and Príncipe and the Union of Comoros — signalling the body’s widening mandate to combat illicit financial flows beyond ECOWAS borders while preserving critical collaboration with former member states.
