David Ofosu-Dorte, Senior Partner at AB & David Africa, has sharply criticized the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) for appointing Nigerian President Bola Ahmed Tinubu as its chair, linking the decision to the subsequent withdrawal of Niger, Mali, and Burkina Faso from the regional bloc.
Appearing on the Citi Breakfast Show on February 10, Ofosu-Dorte described Tinubu’s appointment as a misstep, arguing that it deepened internal divisions and directly led to the three Sahelian nations severing ties with ECOWAS.
Tinubu was appointed as ECOWAS chair in July 2023, just a month after assuming office as Nigeria’s president. His selection was seen as an effort to leverage Nigeria’s economic and geopolitical influence in the region.
However, his tenure quickly became controversial, especially following the political crisis in Niger, where a coup ousted the democratically elected president.
Tinubu adopted a hardline approach, calling for military intervention to restore constitutional order in Niger, which included threats of invasion. This stance was met with criticism and resistance from several member states, ultimately leading to the withdrawal of Niger, Mali, and Burkina Faso from ECOWAS.
Ofosu-Dorte argued that Tinubu’s appointment was premature, suggesting that his inexperience as a newly elected president may have influenced his aggressive response to the crisis in Niger.
“ECOWAS made a mistake by appointing Tinubu as chair a month after he took office as president and that is what led to the three Sahelian countries from pulling out. It is his statement about invading them that led to them pulling out eventually. It was an error which we are still paying for.
“However, the other thing that we need to look at is what has been the result of that and the result of that has been the Sahel coming together and Ghana cannot do without them. Because we are a route to the landlocked countries and that is a major market, it affects how much cargo that goes through our port at Tema.”
Ofosu-Dorte warned that Ghana is poised to suffer significant economic consequences as a result of the withdrawal of these three nations.
He emphasised that the Sahelian countries, which rely heavily on Ghana’s ports for trade, form a crucial part of the regional supply chain.
