President John Mahama has stated that the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) continues to engage in dialogue with the three Sahelian countries, Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger, that have withdrawn from the regional bloc to form the Alliance of Sahel States (AES).

Speaking at Jubilee House on Friday, September 19, 2025, after receiving Germany’s new Ambassador to Ghana, Frederick Landshoft, President Mahama emphasised the importance of regional solidarity in addressing the challenges these countries face, particularly the escalating threat of terrorism.

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He cautioned that failure to unite against these threats could allow terrorism to spread further across West Africa.

“One of the areas we want to thank Germany for is the collaboration with the Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre (KAIPTC). The partnership has been very useful in terms of training and strategic thinking.

“We would like to continue that collaboration, especially now that the West Africa subregion is facing the threat of violent extremism", he remarked.

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“The AES countries have broken away from ECOWAS, but we are engaged in continuous dialogue because we believe the difficulties they face are not theirs alone. If we do not show solidarity, the threat could easily spill over into the rest of the region,” President Mahama added.

Following the exit of Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger from ECOWAS, the three countries formed the Alliance of Sahel States (AES) to strengthen political, economic and security ties.

JKB/

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