David Ofosu-Dorte, Senior Partner at AB & David Africa, has criticised the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) decision to appoint Nigerian President Bola Ahmed Tinubu as its chair, attributing the move to the subsequent withdrawal of Niger, Mali, and Burkina Faso from the regional bloc.

Speaking on the Citi Breakfast Show on Monday, February 10, Ofosu-Dorte described Tinubu’s appointment as a miscalculation, arguing that it exacerbated tensions within the bloc and directly contributed to the three Sahelian nations severing ties with ECOWAS.

Bola Ahmed Tinubu was appointed as the chairman of ECOWAS in July 2023, barely a month after assuming office as Nigeria’s president.

His selection was seen as a strategic decision to leverage Nigeria’s economic and geopolitical influence within the region. However, Tinubu’s tenure as ECOWAS chair was quickly marked by controversy, particularly his handling of the political crisis in Niger following a coup that ousted its democratically elected president.

Tinubu took a firm stance against the coup leaders, advocating for military intervention to restore constitutional order.

This hardline approach, which included threats of invasion, drew criticism and resistance from several member states.

It ultimately prompted Niger, Mali, and Burkina Faso to withdraw from ECOWAS, citing the bloc’s hostile posture towards their governments.

Ofosu-Dorte characterized Tinubu’s appointment as premature, noting that his inexperience as a new president may have influenced his aggressive stance on the Niger crisis.

“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.

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