Nigeria’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Yusuf Tuggar, has expressed optimism that Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger will eventually return to ECOWAS, following their withdrawal from the regional bloc earlier this year.

Speaking in Abuja on Friday during a courtesy visit by the Speaker of the ECOWAS Parliament, Memounatou Ibrahima, Tuggar said the regional body is actively working to reintegrate the three Sahel nations despite the diplomatic fallout that followed military takeovers in each country.

 “We have not closed the door on their return. We are confident that they will return because they are part and parcel of the region. It is just a matter of time,” Tuggar said.

 In January 2025, Niger, Mali, and Burkina Faso formally exited ECOWAS and later signed a treaty to form a new alliance — the Confederation of Sahel States. However, Tuggar assured that ECOWAS would continue to relate with them as neighbours and pursue mutual interests, even in their absence from the bloc.

He encouraged the media to shift focus away from the political exits and instead highlight the positive developmental initiatives across the region, such as the West African Power Pool, ECOWAS Trade Liberalisation Scheme, and the Abidjan-Lagos and Abidjan-Dakar Corridors, which aim to deepen regional integration.

Tuggar praised the ECOWAS Parliament for its dedication to democratic governance and regional representation, calling it a vital organ of the bloc.

Earlier, Speaker Ibrahima said the parliament was preparing to mark its 25th anniversary in November, and was seeking greater legislative authority to support ECOWAS programmes more effectively.

She was accompanied by the Fourth Deputy Speaker, Billay Tunkara, and Secretary General, Bertin Some, among others.