President John Dramani Mahama visited Mali on March 8 as part of his ‘Good Neighbourliness’ tour to improve diplomatic relations and discuss inter-trade between the two countries.
This tour is aimed at strengthening diplomatic and economic ties with neighbouring West African countries.
The target of this initiative include Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso, notably for their separation from theEconomic Community of West African States ECOWAS. Mahama’s goal is to unite these countries with the ECOWAS to promote regional unity.
Upon arrival at Modibo Keita International Airport, Mahama was warmly received by Mali’s Transitional President, General Assimi Goïta. The two leaders held a closed-door meeting at the presidential palace to discuss regional stability, economic cooperation, and trade relations.
One key focus of their discussions was improving trade between Ghana and Mali. Mahama reaffirmed his commitment to eliminating barriers that hinder the smooth transportation of goods between the two countries.
A lot of long-distance drivers, both Malian and Ghanaian, convey goods from our ports to Mali and transport goods from Mali back to our ports for export. We discussed how we can long-distance the challenges so that these drivers involved in the transit of goods can work without difficulties.
Mahama’s visit to Mali marks the first stop of the tour that will also take him to Niger and Burkina Faso—the next country he will be visiting.
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His initiative seeks to foster dialogue and cooperation despite recent geopolitical shifts in the region. President Mahama had pledged to bring back the three Alliance of Sahel states to the ECOWAS in order to ensure regional unity.
