President John Dramani Mahama over the weekend paid working visits to Mali and Niger, member countries of the Alliance of Sahel States (AES).
The visits form part of President Mahama’s ‘good neighbourliness’ tour of Ghana’s neighbours, coming on the back of a similar visit to Côte d’Ivoire on Wednesday, March 5, 2025.
On Saturday President Mahama was received by Mali’s Transitional President, General Asimi Goita at the Modiba Keita Airport in the capital, Bamako.
The visit to Mali is reciprocal of an earlier one by Mali’s Prime Minister, General Abdoulaye Maïga, to Ghana in January 2025 following President Mahama’s ascension to the presidential throne.
Briefing the media after a closed-door meeting, President Mahama said strengthening trade facilitation between Ghana and Mali and the free movement of their citizens featured at the engagement.
He said trade between Ghana via the land border has been hectic for truck drivers who transport goods such as foodstuffs, manufactured products, and raw materials from Ghana to Mali and vice versa as a result of bottlenecks.
“A lot of long-distance drivers, both Malian and Ghanaians, convey goods from our ports to Mali and transport goods from Mali back to our ports for export.
“And so we discussed how we can remove the challenges so that it is easy for these drivers who are involved in the transit of goods to be able to do their work without any problems,” President Mahama disclosed.
The growing concerns over insurgency and terrorism in West Africa, he said was also discussed with the view to find lasting solution to extremism which was spreading.
He said despite the exit of Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger from the ECOWAS, healthy relations with them was critical to keep the region safe.
On his part, General Asimi Goita, commended President Mahama for the leadership he has provided since assuming the presidency and for the vision he has for Africa.
President Mahama also met with the Ghanaian community in Mali and visited Kwame Nkrumah’s statue erected at the heart of the capital.
The President was accompanied by Foreign and Government Communication ministers, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa and Felix Kwakye Ofosu, a Deputy Chief of Staff in charge of operations, Stan Dogbe, and Ghana’s Special Envoy to the Sahel Countries, Col (Rtd) Larry Gbevlo Lartey.
At the time of filing this report, President Mahama and his entourage were in Niamey, Niger and is expected to be in Burkina Faso today Monday, March 10, 2025.
BY JULIUS YAO PETETSI
