The Alliance of Sahel States (AES) – comprising Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger – held a high-level mission in Bamako, bringing together the Directors General of Customs from each member country for a strategic meeting aimed at advancing regional customs harmonisation
The strategic gathering is part of the ongoing efforts to operationalise the AES countries, with customs harmonisation positioned as a cornerstone for regional economic integration.
The three-day visit culminated on Friday, 16 May, with a key working session between the heads of customs from the AES member states and Mali’s Prime Minister, Major General Abdoulaye Maïga. The meeting served to evaluate progress over the past year and set the course for future actions.
To date, the customs administrations of the three nations have made significant strides. They have aligned customs clearance procedures, shared technical resources, and conducted successful pilot operations across several cross-border trade corridors.
Notable results include a reduction in border crossing times – from an average of nine days to six along the Bamako – Ouagadougou route – and an 11% rise in formal trade among the three countries between January and April 2025.
Beyond these immediate gains, the mission also looked ahead to potential re-engagement with ECOWAS. Though currently suspended from the regional bloc, the AES countries are working to ensure that their customs reforms remain aligned with ECOWAS’s Common External Tariff and rules of origin.
