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The AES Is Really Building: The AES Is Building What ECOWAS Was Supposed To Build Kwabena Ofori Osei 4 Nhwɛso • 1 da a atwam

The AES parliament just opened in Niamey. Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger now have a joint army, a bank, a passport and a legislature. Here's what the Alliance of Sahel States is really building after ECOWAS.
he AES parliament just opened in Niamey. Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger now have a joint army, a bank, a passport and a legislature. Here's what the Alliance of Sahel States is really building after ECOWAS.

In August 2026, forty-five deputies sat down in Niamey and opened the first confederal parliament of the Alliance of Sahel States. Fifteen from each country. Three committees: defence and security, diplomacy, development.

It looked like a small story. It isn't.

In six years, Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger went from three separate coups to a mutual defence pact, a 6,000-strong joint force, a confederal development bank, a common passport, a shared import levy, and now a parliament. That is the architecture of a state, built at speed, during a war.

But there's a constraint no resolution can fix. All three countries are landlocked. Every container and every litre of fuel still crosses a border that belongs to someone else.

In this episode we follow the evidence: what was actually built in Niamey, why Sahel security numbers finally improved in 2025, what West African port data reveals about who really holds leverage, and why Morocco is now offering the Sahel a different road to the Atlantic entirely.

No cheerleading. No dismissal. Just the receipts.

SOURCES USED

Security figures come from the Global Terrorism Index published by the Institute for Economics and Peace, and from research by the Institute for Security Studies in Pretoria. Port and corridor data comes from the African Development Bank and Ecofin Agency. Regional analysis draws on Chatham House and the International Crisis Group. Institutional details come from ECOWAS Commission statements and from Sahelian outlets including Burkina24, Le Sahel, Koaci and RTN. Reporting on Morocco's Atlantic Initiative draws on Al Jazeera and the Policy Center for the New South.

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DISCLAIMER

This video is independent analysis and commentary on publicly reported events. It is produced for educational and informational purposes only. All figures cited are drawn from published reports by the organisations named above and were accurate at the time of production. Where information could not be independently verified, this is stated in the video.

Africa Today is not affiliated with, sponsored by, or endorsed by any government, political party, regional organisation or armed group mentioned. Views expressed are our own interpretation of publicly available evidence and should not be taken as statements of fact about the intentions of any individual or institution.

Nothing in this video constitutes financial, investment, legal or travel advice. Viewers considering business decisions in any region discussed should consult qualified professionals and conduct their own due diligence.

Archival footage and images are used under fair use for news reporting, commentary, criticism and education.

We welcome corrections. If you believe something here is inaccurate, comment with a source and we will pin it.

QUESTION FOR YOU

Is the AES building a genuine new regional model for West Africa, or a smaller bloc that still can't escape the system it left? Tell me where you land.

#aes #sahel #ecowas welcome to Africa Today a place where we showcase Africa's financial potential and help you obtain financial freedom

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AES Power Play: Mali, Burkina Faso & Niger Build a New Booming Gold Economy | Africa Kwabena Ofori Osei 9 Nhwɛso • 3 nna a atwam

Watch this video as Firstpost examines Mali's dramatic gold surge and the growing push by the Alliance of Sahel States to take greater control of the region's mineral wealth. Mali produced 23.5 tonnes of industrial gold in the first half of 2026, up around 30 percent from the same period last year, putting the country on track to meet or exceed its annual target. But this is about much more than mining. Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger are building a new economic architecture around gold, with combined production estimated at around 230 tonnes a year. At current prices, that represents tens of billions of dollars in potential wealth. With new refineries, greater state participation and tighter control over mining deals, the AES wants more of that value captured at home. But persistent JNIM attacks and insecurity remain a major obstacle. Alyson Le Grange tells you more on Firstpost Africa.

TIME STAMPS:
00:00 - Sahel Gold Boom: Mali's Production Surges 30%
00:25 - H1 2026 Production Breakdown & Annual Targets
00:50 - Output Resiliency Amid Rising Security Threats
01:10 - The AES Strategy: Leveraging Sahel’s 230-Tonne Gold Output
01:35 - Building an Alternative Economic System Beyond ECOWAS
01:55 - Resource Nationalism: Mining Codes & State Takeovers
02:25 - Value-Addition Shift: Regional Refineries in Burkina Faso & Mali
02:55 - Western Miners Continue Operations Alongside Russian Expansion
03:35 - The Critical Bottleneck: JNIM Insurgency & Security Vulnerabilities
03:55 - Testing the Russia Partnership: Can Wealth Be Secured?

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Firstpost is an Indian news and media website. Get all the incisive opinions, in-depth analyses and other visual stories that matter to you and the world right here on this channel.

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Ghana Gold Export Ban: How Ghana is Challenging Dubai to Protect Its $20BN Gold Sector | Africa Kwabena Ofori Osei 11 Nhwɛso • 3 nna a atwam

Watch this video as Firstpost examines Ghana’s dramatic new move to tighten control over its gold trade and reshape how Africa’s natural wealth is extracted, processed, and exported. From September 1, Ghana will require unrefined artisanal and small-scale gold to be refined domestically before export, marking a major shift for Africa’s largest gold producer. Ghana produced a record six million ounces of gold in 2025, generating more than $20 billion in export earnings. The move builds on President John Mahama’s wider push for economic sovereignty and the Ghana Gold Board’s efforts to bring the country’s gold trade into the formal economy. But Ghana’s strategy goes beyond gold. Guinea, Mali and Burkina Faso are also pushing for greater state control, domestic processing and local value addition across Africa’s mining sector. The bigger battle is over who controls the gold value chain: African producers or foreign financial and refining hubs. Alyson Le Grange tells you more on Firstpost Africa.

00:00 – The End of African Wealth Extraction
00:17 – Ghana's Nationwide Gold Export Ban
00:46 – Why Ghana is Africa’s Gold Giant
01:27 – Economic Sovereignty & Strengthening the Cedi
02:12 – The Role of the Ghana Gold Board (Gold Budge)
03:00 – Challenging the Global Refining System
03:33 – A Continental Resource Reset: Guinea, Mali, & Burkina Faso
04:08 – Moving Up the Value Chain
04:30 – Nelson Mandela on Sovereignty and Allies

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Ghana Gold Export Ban | Ghana Gold Industry | Accra | Dubai Gold Trade | Ghana Gold Exports | $20 Billion Gold Sector | Ghana Gold Policy | Gold Smuggling | Africa | Global South | Geopolitics | Military Coup | Environment | Climate Change | Firstpost | News Live | World News | Latest News | Global News | International News | News | Trending News

#ghanagoldexportban #ghanagoldindustry #accra #dubaigoldtrade #ghanagoldexports #20billiongoldsector #ghanagoldpolicy #goldsmuggling #ghanaeconomy #dubaigoldhub #africagoldtrade #ghanamining #goldmarket #africa #alysonlegrange #globalsouth #militarycoup #firstpost #newslive #worldnews #latestnews #globalnews #news #internationalnews #trendingnews firstpost is an Indian news and media website. Get all the incisive opinions, in-depth analyses and other visual stories that matter to you and the world right here on this channel.

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