Nigeria

The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has reported allocating $14 million over one year to support humanitarian efforts in the region and combat terrorism. According to a statement by Ajuri Ngelale, Special Advisor to Nigerian President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Tinubu attended the “African Union 6th Mid-Year Coordination Meeting” held in Accra, Ghana’s capital. President Tinubu, who is also the ECOWAS Chair, mentioned during the meeting that ECOWAS has allocated $14 million to support humanitarian efforts and counterterrorism in the region. He also noted that ECOWAS is exploring other financing options for its $2.6 billion Contingency Force. Tinubu highlighted that ECOWAS faces various challenges such as terrorism, food insecurity, and climate change, and mentioned that the organization will continue dialogue with Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger, who have decided to leave ECOWAS, and will convene an “Extraordinary Special Summit” on the future of the Community. Tinubu did not announce the summit date but indicated that leaders would discuss ongoing negotiations with Niger, Mali, and Burkina Faso regarding their decision to leave ECOWAS. Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger, who decided to leave ECOWAS and formed the Alliance of Sahel States (AES), held their first summit in Niamey, Niger’s capital, on July 6th. During the summit, they signed a joint declaration to establish the “Confederation of Sahel States,” comprising the three countries, and elected Malian President Assimi Goita as the AES Chair for a one-year term.