President Muhammadu Buhari on Monday met behind closed door with the former Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister for the Economy, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, at the Presidential Villa, Abuja. Okonjo-Iweala is contesting for the position of the Director-General of the World Trade Organization (WTO). She has already emerged as one of the final two candidates ...

The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) on Tuesday lifted the sanctions imposed on Mali in the wake of an August 18, 2020, military coup, citing Mali’s “notable advances towards constitutional normalisation” as the reason for the relaxation of the sanctions. The regional bloc announced the lifting of the sanctions in a statement. The ...

As the Authority of Heads of State and Governments of the Economic Community of West African States, ECOWAS continue to seek solutions to the political crisis in Mali, its insistence on the restoration of a civil rule for the proposed transitional government, is the way to go and will be helpful for democracy and good ...

West African leaders said they hope to see a civilian-led transition government installed in Mali “in days” after holding talks on Tuesday with the military junta that seized power in the fragile state last month. The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) slapped sanctions on Mali after the putsch, including closing borders and a ...

Mali’s military coup leaders must hand over power to a civilian transitional government immediately, the chairman of the West African regional bloc said on Tuesday, as a deadline expired for the ruling junta to appoint interim leaders. The 15-member Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) imposed economic sanctions after the Aug. 18 overthrow of ...

Vice President Yemi Osinbajo has departed Nigeria for Ghana to attend the Extraordinary Summit of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS). Osinbajo, who is representing President Muhammadu Buhari, at the summit will join other leaders in the sub-region to discuss the political crisis in Mali and the security situation in the sub-region at ...

Constitutional experts raised the prospect of two years of military-led rule in Mali following last month’s coup at talks on Friday, defying calls by the West African economic bloc ECOWAS for elections within a year. The Aug. 18 coup that toppled Ibrahim Boubacar Keita led to swift economic sanctions by ECOWAS, which fears it could ...

Influential Mali cleric Imam Mahmoud Dicko urged the military junta on Wednesday to comply with demands from West African leaders to name a civilian president and prime minister by Sept. 15 to ease sanctions imposed after last month’s coup. On Saturday the junta began talks with Mali’s political parties and civil society groups over a ...

West Africa’s regional leaders have given the military junta in Mali until Sept. 15 to name a transitional president and a prime minister, according to a statement read at the end of a summit on Monday. The heads of state of the 15-nation Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) said the president and prime ...

President Muhammadu Buhari has called on leaders from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), to resist the temptation of elongating their tenure in office beyond what their constitutions allow.A statement by Buhari’s media aide, Garba Shehu, quoted his principal to have said this on Monday during the 57th Ordinary Session of the ECOWAS ...