By Gloria Ikibah
Nigeria and Mali have reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening bilateral relations and working together to address the security and development challenges facing the Sahel and West Africa.
The commitment was made during a bilateral meeting between Nigeria’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, and Mali’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Abdoulaye Diop, on the sidelines of the 81st United Nations General Assembly in New York.
The meeting provided an opportunity for both ministers to deepen direct political consultations and exchange views on developments in Mali, the Sahel and the wider West African region.
Odumegwu-Ojukwu reaffirmed Nigeria’s longstanding historical ties with Mali and stressed the importance of a stable, peaceful and prosperous Sahel.
She said the security challenges confronting the region required sustained cooperation among neighbouring countries, given the cross-border nature of threats such as terrorism, violent extremism, organised crime, trafficking, arms proliferation and illicit financial flows.
The minister also stressed the importance of African ownership of solutions to the continent’s peace and security challenges, while encouraging continued dialogue between Mali, West African countries and regional institutions.
The discussions covered Mali’s evolving relationship with the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), the Alliance of Sahel States (AES), African Union peace and security mechanisms, regional integration, bilateral trade and economic relations, as well as mobility and people-to-people contacts.
The two ministers also examined opportunities to expand economic cooperation and strengthen relations between the peoples of Nigeria and Mali.
Odumegwu-Ojukwu reaffirmed Nigeria’s willingness to maintain constructive bilateral consultations with Mali and expressed interest in continued cooperation at the multilateral level, including mutual support for Nigeria’s multilateral candidatures.
The meeting comes amid Nigeria’s efforts to promote regional dialogue and cooperation on peace, security and integration.
In July 2026, Nigeria and Mali agreed to revitalise their Joint Commission and identified security, trade, energy, irregular migration, human trafficking and the Bilateral Air Services Agreement (BASA) as priority areas for cooperation.
Nigeria, remains committed to strengthening regional cooperation and supporting peaceful, African-led responses to the interconnected security and development challenges confronting West Africa and the Sahel.
