The military-led governments of Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso have unveiled plans to create a new regional investment bank funded by national tax revenues, in a move aimed at reducing reliance on foreign aid and asserting greater control over their development agendas.

According to Serge Balima, an adviser to Burkina Faso’s junta leader Ibrahim Traoré, each country will contribute roughly 5% of its annual tax revenues toward capitalising the institution.

“We’ll pool resources from a set of taxes imposed in each state,” Balima told Bloomberg. “Together, these funds will form the capital needed to create the bank, which will then be used to finance development projects.”

The initiative represents the latest coordinated economic policy under the Alliance of Sahel States (AES), the political and security bloc formed earlier this year after the trio collectively withdrew from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).

It also reflects a growing shift toward resource nationalism and regional self-reliance. The three nations have already taken steps to jointly develop mining, infrastructure, and energy ventures and have begun revising natural resource laws to increase state participation in extractive industries.

In some cases, the governments have moved to nationalise mining operations deemed underperforming or non-compliant with new regulatory standards.

From ECOWAS Exit to Strategic Realignment

The creation of the investment bank is the latest signal that the AES is intent on consolidating its economic and political independence from both regional blocs and traditional Western allies.

The departure from ECOWAS in early 2025 followed months of tensions, fuelled by what the three military regimes described as insufficient support in the fight against Islamist insurgencies that have ravaged large parts of the Sahel.

Disillusioned with the historical presence of France and the United States—both militarily and economically—Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso have since severed or scaled back ties with their former partners. In their place, they have courted new alliances with non-Western powers including Russia, Iran and Turkey.

This realignment is being watched closely by Western diplomats and multilateral institutions, particularly as it coincides with a broader global scramble for access to Africa’s strategic minerals, including gold, uranium and lithium.

Analysts say the proposed bank could provide a critical financing vehicle for domestic infrastructure, agriculture and industrialisation, if implemented effectively. But questions remain about governance, transparency and the long-term sustainability of the model—especially in nations grappling with ongoing security crises and economic sanctions.

Still, the symbolic significance is hard to ignore. For regimes that have framed their rule as a rejection of neocolonial influence and elite-driven politics, the creation of a self-financed regional institution marks an important step in consolidating their vision of sovereignty.

The self-declared republic of Somaliland is offering the United States access to a military base near the strategic Bab el-Mandeb Strait and critical mineral supplies, including lithium, in a renewed push for international recognition, according to officials in Hargeisa.

President Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi, who assumed office last year, told reporters his administration is in talks with the US Department of Defence and the US Embassy in Somalia as part of a broader strategy to position Somaliland as a stable partner amid intensifying global competition for influence across the Horn of Africa.

“If the US is interested in landing in Somaliland, they are most welcome,” Abdullahi said in an interview this week, adding that economic cooperation, security partnerships, and resource deals were all on the table—regardless of whether Washington formally recognises Somaliland’s sovereignty.

Somaliland declared independence from Somalia in 1991 but remains unrecognised by the international community. Despite lacking formal statehood, it has maintained relative peace and democratic stability, in sharp contrast to Somalia’s decades of conflict and insurgency.

The offer of a US base comes amid heightened geopolitical interest in the Red Sea corridor, particularly following attacks by Houthi rebels on commercial vessels, and Washington’s deepening concerns over China’s expanding military and commercial footprint in Africa.

Yet, the move risks diplomatic friction. The United States continues to back Somalia’s sovereignty, and any shift in its “One Somalia” policy would likely complicate counter-terrorism operations and regional alliances.

A spokesperson for the US State Department reiterated this week that “the United States recognizes the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Somalia, which includes Somaliland.”

Still, US officials have maintained informal contact with Somaliland’s leadership. Ambassador Richard Riley and other diplomats have held talks in recent months, focusing on regional stability, economic development, and maritime security.

Abdullahi confirmed that talks regarding a potential US base are ongoing and said a visit to the United States is being planned. He also dismissed suggestions that recognition is a precondition for cooperation. “We are offering partnerships, not ultimatums,” he said.

So far, Ethiopia remains the only country to have formally acknowledged Somaliland’s sovereignty—an announcement that sparked a diplomatic rift with Mogadishu and drew criticism from the African Union.

Somaliland’s offer comes at a time when former US President Donald Trump, widely expected to return to office in 2025, has signalled openness to rethinking long-standing foreign policy positions, including toward breakaway regions.

While the Biden administration has been cautious, Abdullahi appears to be betting that a Trump-led White House might be more receptive to a transactional deal that trades recognition for geostrategic value.