The Alliance of Sahel States (AES)—comprising Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger—has concluded a high-level three-day mission in Bamako, focused on accelerating regional customs harmonization as a key pillar of their economic integration agenda. Held from May 14 to May 16, the meeting brought together the Directors General of Customs from each member state and culminated in a strategic working session with Mali’s Prime Minister, Major General Abdoulaye Maïga. The talks reviewed progress made in streamlining customs operations and setting targets for deeper cooperation.
Since the bloc’s formation in 2023, the three countries have achieved tangible milestones including customs clearance procedures standardization, alignment of technical systems and data sharing mechanisms and the successfully execution of pilot operations across trade corridors .
One key result is a reduction in border crossing times on the Bamako–Ouagadougou corridor, down from nine days to six, alongside an 11% increase in formal intra-AES trade from January to April 2025. While the AES remains suspended from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) following recent military takeovers, the group is ensuring its customs reforms align with ECOWAS protocols, including the Common External Tariff and rules of origin, keeping the door open for future reintegration.
The initiative reflects AES’s push for economic sovereignty, improved cross-border trade, and regional infrastructure coordination, as the alliance seeks to consolidate itself as a self-reliant economic bloc amid shifting political dynamics in West Africa.
