The Authority of Heads of State and Government of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has approved the admission of Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger as non-ECOWAS members of the Inter-Governmental Action Group against Money Laundering in West Africa (GIABA).
According to an official release, the admission is contingent on the three countries demonstrating strong political commitment to fully implement GIABA obligations, including addressing deficiencies in their Anti-Money Laundering, Countering the Financing of Terrorism, and Countering Proliferation Financing (AML/CFT/CPF) frameworks. The countries are also required to cooperate fully and comply with all AML/CFT/CPF obligations as stipulated in the GIABA Statute.
The decision was reached at the conclusion of the 68th Ordinary Session of the ECOWAS Authority, held on December 14, 2025, in Abuja, Nigeria, under the chairmanship of Sierra Leonean President Julius Maada Bio, the current Chair of the Authority.
Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger formally completed their withdrawal from ECOWAS on January 29, 2025, following the formation of their new confederation, the Alliance of Sahel States (AES).
Earlier, the GIABA Ministerial Committee (GMC) had recommended the admission of the three countries as non-ECOWAS members during its 2nd Extraordinary Session held on July 19, 2025, in Accra, Ghana.
Under its establishment statute, GIABA is permitted to admit non-ECOWAS member states that meet the required eligibility criteria. With the inclusion of Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger, GIABA now has five non-ECOWAS member states, in addition to São Tomé and Príncipe and the Union of Comoros.
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