President Bola Tinubu has called for deeper regional integration, saying the region is working towards a sustainable and prosperous future.
Addressing heads of states, investors, and other participants at the inaugural West Africa economic summit on Saturday, President Tinubu said leaders of the Economic Community of West African States are shaping the future of the region.
The inaugural West African Economic Summit, which aims to deepen regional economic integration and enhance trade and investment cooperation across the subregion, has the theme “Unlocking Trade and Investment Opportunities in the Region.”
President Tinubu called on member states to end the practice of exporting raw minerals without processing them locally — a trend he described as the “pit-to-port” dependency — urging instead for investment in regional value chains, manufacturing, and innovation.
The Nigerian leader warned that intra regional trade remains under 10 per cent, which he attributed not to a lack of political will but to poor coordination.
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The ECOWAS chairman further highlighted the region’s youthful population as its greatest asset while cautioning that it could become a liability if not supported through investments in education, digital infrastructure, and enterprise.
He said the region’s prosperity depends on regional supply chains, energy networks, and data frameworks and the leaders must design them together, or they will collapse separately.
The summit attracted the participation of presidents from Ghana, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Senegal, The Gambia, Benin Republic, Togo, and Guinea-Bissau.
Key players in the private sector, development partners, and policy experts also participated in the summit which is expected to make recommendations on how to fast-track West Africa’s integration agenda, regarded as critical to regional peace, security, and prosperity.
(Editor: Okechukwu Eze)
