Nigeria's Sola Enikanolaiye Promotes ECOWAS-AES Unity

On October 18, Nigeria's Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Sola Enikanolaiye, reaffirmed Nigeria's commitment to regional unity at the inaugural Ministerial Dialogue on Cooperation between ECOWAS and the AES, held in Dakar, Senegal. The meeting aimed to establish a framework for structured dialogue and cooperation between the two regional blocs, emphasizing fraternity and mutual respect.

Enikanolaiye highlighted the strategic importance of this dialogue for Nigeria and West Africa, noting shared geographical, historical, cultural, and social ties. He stressed the necessity of enhancing these connections to address challenges such as free movement, insecurity, terrorism, and food insecurity.

Enikanolaiye announced Nigeria's proactive steps to revive dormant Joint Commissions with Niger, Mali, and Burkina Faso to promote economic integration and security partnerships. The dialogue concluded with an agreement to form joint thematic working groups to explore cooperation areas, facilitating technical exchanges and developing a comprehensive cooperation framework.

The meeting included foreign ministers from AES member countries and was chaired by Senegal’s President, Bassirou Diomaye Faye.