GIABA admits Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger as non-ECOWAS members, expanding its mandate on money laundering and terrorism financing in West Africa.
Friday, December 26, 2025 | Abuja
GIABA (Inter-Governmental Action Group against Money Laundering in West Africa) has formally admitted Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger as non-ECOWAS member states after receiving approval from the Authority of Heads of State and Government of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).
The decision was taken at the 68th Ordinary Session of the ECOWAS Authority held on December 14, 2025, in Abuja, Nigeria. The meeting was chaired by President Julius Maada Bio of Sierra Leone, who currently serves as Chair of the Authority.
In a statement issued after the session, the body said the admission of the three Sahelian countries is conditional on a strong political commitment to meet all statutory and technical obligations required of members. These obligations include addressing identified gaps in their Anti-Money Laundering, Countering the Financing of Terrorism, and Countering Proliferation Financing (AML/CFT/CPF) frameworks.
“Membership approval is subject to full cooperation with GIABA’s compliance, monitoring, and evaluation processes, in line with international standards,” the statement said.
Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger formally withdrew from ECOWAS on January 29, 2025, following the establishment of the Alliance of Sahel States (AES), a regional confederation formed by the three military-led governments.
Despite their exit from the ECOWAS bloc, it maintained that financial integrity and regional security concerns required continued engagement with the Sahelian states, particularly in combating illicit financial flows and terrorism financing across borders.
Before the Authority’s approval, the Inter-Governmental Action Group against Money Laundering in West Africa Ministerial Committee had recommended the admission of the three countries during its second Extraordinary Session held on July 19, 2025, in Accra, Ghana.
Under the GIABA Establishment Statute, non-ECOWAS countries may be admitted provided they meet defined eligibility criteria and demonstrate readiness to comply with all technical and institutional requirements.
With the latest decision, GIABA now has five non-ECOWAS member states. The others are São Tomé and Príncipe and the Union of Comoros, expanding GIABA’s operational scope beyond the ECOWAS framework.
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