Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger have announced a new 0.5% levy on imported goods from Nigeria and other Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) member countries. This move comes as the three nations seek to fund a new regional union after leaving the larger ECOWAS bloc.
According to an official statement, the levy was agreed upon on Friday and will take immediate effect. It will apply to all goods imported from outside the three countries, excluding humanitarian aid.
The new levy aims to "finance the activities" of the trio's aspiring economic union, though details were not provided. This effectively ends the free trade regime that had existed across West Africa under the ECOWAS umbrella for decades.
The development highlights the rift between the three Saharan states and influential regional democracies like Nigeria and Ghana to the south. The three countries, each ruled by military juntas that came to power through recent 2023 coups, had previously established the Alliance of Sahel States as a security agreement after exiting ECOWAS.
Over time, this alliance evolved into plans for deeper economic and financial integration, including the introduction of biometric passports. The three nations left ECOWAS last year, citing insufficient support in fighting Islamist insurgencies and insecurity. In response, ECOWAS imposed sanctions, to little effect.
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