Nigeria and Mali have reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening bilateral relations and regional cooperation, with security challenges in the Sahel and West Africa featuring prominently in discussions between the two countries.
The discussions took place during a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the 81st United Nations General Assembly (UNGA 81) in New York.
Nigeria’s delegation was led by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, while Mali’s delegation was led by its Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Abdoulaye Diop.
According to a statement by Odumegwu-Ojukwu’s media aide, Magnus Eze, the meeting provided an opportunity for both countries to undertake political consultations and exchange views on security developments in Mali, the Sahel and the wider West African region.
Odumegwu-Ojukwu reaffirmed Nigeria’s longstanding ties with Mali, stressing that Nigeria had a strong interest in seeing a stable, peaceful and prosperous Sahel.
She said the security challenges confronting the region required sustained cooperation among neighbouring countries and stronger regional mechanisms.
The minister identified terrorism, violent extremism, organised crime, human trafficking, proliferation of small arms and illicit financial flows as cross-border challenges requiring coordinated responses.
She also stressed the importance of African ownership in addressing the continent’s peace and security challenges, while encouraging continued dialogue among Mali, West African countries and regional institutions.
The discussions also covered Mali’s evolving relationship with the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), the political dynamics of the Alliance of Sahel States (AES), African Union peace and security mechanisms, as well as bilateral trade, economic and energy cooperation.
Regional integration, mobility and people-to-people contacts were also discussed.
Odumegwu-Ojukwu reaffirmed Nigeria’s readiness to maintain constructive bilateral consultations with Mali and expressed interest in continued multilateral cooperation, including mutual support for diplomatic candidatures.
The meeting came amid efforts by Nigeria to strengthen regional dialogue, peace, security and integration.
In July 2026, Nigeria and Mali agreed to revitalise their Joint Commission, identifying security, trade, energy, irregular migration, human trafficking and the Bilateral Air Services Agreement (BASA) as priority areas for cooperation.
