Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger to Join GIABA Despite ECOWAS Exit

 

Leaders of Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger

Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger may soon join GIABA as non-ECOWAS members following endorsement by its Ministerial Committee.

Despite exiting the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger might be admitted any moment from now as Non ECOWAS members of the regional body’s Inter-Governmental Action Group against Money Laundering in West Africa (GIABA).

This followed the endorsement of their applications by the GIABA Ministerial Committee (GMC) at its 2nd Extraordinary session which held in Accra, Ghana.

A statement issued on Monday by the region’s anti-money laundering agency, said the GMC agreed to recommend applications to the Authority of Heads of State and Government of ECOWAS, through the ECOWAS Council of Ministers, for their consideration and approval.

The GMC is the principal decision-making organ of GIABA, comprising the Ministers of Finance, the Ministers of Internal Affairs or Security, and the Ministers of Justice of each GIABA member state.

Following ECOWAS leaders opposition to the sacking of democratically elected government in the three countries by the military, in 2023, the military junta in Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger had in January 2024, announced their intentions to quit ECOWAS, and subsequently established a confederation called the Alliance of Sahel States.

Although ECOWAS granted them a six-month grace period to reconsider their decision, they however withdrew formally from ECOWAS on January 29, 2025, after a one-year notice period.


However, shortly after exiting ECOWAS, Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger brought applications for Non-ECOWAS membership of GIABA.

Meanwhile, the DG has expressed optimism that Nigeria and Burkina Faso will exit from the FATF grey list in October 2025.

The DG further informed the GMC of the admission of the Financial Intelligence Units of The Gambia and Sierra Leone into the Egmont Group in July 2025; the invitation by FATF to the Federal Republic of Nigeria to sit as its guest member from October 2025 to October 2026; as well as the celebration of GIABA’s Silver Jubilee anniversary scheduled to hold in Monrovia in November 2025.

— Arise News

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