The military juntas of Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger have introduced a new 0.5 per cent levy on imported goods from Nigeria and other member countries of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).

The decision was announced in an official statement signed by the three countries’ military leaders, following a meeting last Friday. The levy is now in effect.

According to the statement, the new levy will apply to all goods imported from outside the three countries, with the notable exception of humanitarian aid.

The funds collected from this levy are intended to finance the activities of a newly formed regional bloc, though the statement did not provide further specifics on how the money will be allocated.

This development marks the end of a long-standing tradition of free trade across West Africa, a system that has existed under the ECOWAS umbrella for decades.

The three nations, each ruled by military juntas that came to power through coups in 2023, had earlier created the Alliance of Sahel States (ASS) as a security initiative after leaving ECOWAS.

The alliance has since evolved into an economic union, aimed at fostering deeper military and financial integration, including the introduction of biometric passports.

Last year, the three countries formally exited ECOWAS, citing dissatisfaction with the bloc’s lack of support in combating Islamist insurgencies and addressing ongoing insecurity in their nations. .

In response, ECOWAS imposed a series of economic, political, and financial sanctions on Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger in an attempt to pressure the military regimes to return to constitutional governance.

However, these efforts have yielded little success.

The three countries have continued to resist ECOWAS’ attempts to bring them back into the fold, with ECOWAS President Bola Tinubu facing a growing diplomatic challenge.

Just last week, Ghana’s former President John Mahama reported to President Tinubu in Abuja that efforts to reintegrate the trio have so far been unsuccessful.