Withdrawal of Sahelian states from the economic community of West African States (ECOWAS): Stakes and Reconfiguration of West African Ports and Corridors

University of San Pedro, Marine Sciences Department 01 PO.BOX 1800 San Pedro 01, Ivory Coast

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Abstract

On the 29th of January 2025, Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger notified their withdrawal from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and creating the Alliance of Sahelian States (AES) provoking a major break in West African trades' organization. This situation has some drawbacks particularly on the landlocked nations as AES countries because they are dependent on the ports of Abidjan, SanPedro, Lomé, Cotonou and Dakar for their external exchanges. In fact, transit traffic to these countries represents a significant portion of these ports' activity. This study's purpose is to analyze challenges and new configurations of West Africans Ports and Corridors following the withdrawal of these three Sahelian Countries from ECOWAS. The methodology takes in account African Documentary Research following the withdrawal of AES countries from ECOWAS and half-directives interviews with Port actors and Economic Operators. This new geopolitical area has different effects on port traffic with benefits for some ports and losses for others. Indeed, this development reinforces competitions between certain port platforms and leads to reconfigurations of historical corridors. In this new geopolitical situation West African Ports are obliged to move for new strategies in order to keep and strenghthen their economic attractiveness with Sahelian Economic Operators.