 Ekman and other leaders have said other West African nations want to work with us and may be open to an expanded American presence. He didn't detail the locations, but some have indicated the Ivory Coast and Ghana as examples. Ekman, the director for strategy at U.S. Africa Command, is leading our military withdrawal from the small base at the airport in Niger's capital of Niamey and from the larger counterterrorism base in the city of Agadez.