President Bola Tinubu issued a clarion call for urgent economic integration during his opening address at the West Africa Economic Summit in Abuja, delivering a stark warning that the region risks permanent marginalization if it fails to unite.
Speaking as both Nigerian leader and ECOWAS Chairman, Tinubu presented damning statistics: “Intra-regional trade remains under 10 per cent. The low trade is not due to a failure of will but a coordination failure.”His remarks cut through diplomatic niceties to expose a troubling reality – West Africa’s economies remain dangerously fragmented despite decades of integration promises.
The President framed the summit as a make-or-break moment, insisting: “The global economy will not wait for West Africa to get its act together, and neither should we.” He challenged attendees to transform the region from a collection of competing states into a unified economic bloc, arguing that isolated development strategies have reached their limits.
Tinubu demanded accelerated progress on cross-border infrastructure projects like the Lagos-Abidjan Highway and West African Power Pool as proof of concept for regional cooperation. He rejected Africa’s traditional role as raw material exporter with a bold declaration: “The era of pit to port must end,” urging instead localized processing and manufacturing to capture more value from the region’s resources.
While celebrating West Africa’s youth bulge as its “greatest asset,” the President warned of demographic disaster without massive investments in education and digital infrastructure.
He reserved particular criticism for the region’s failure to capitalize on its collective strength, asserting: “Rather than competing in isolation or relying on external partners, we must strengthen our regional value chains.”
The ECOWAS Chairman didn’t mince words about implementation failures: “We must move from declarations to concrete deals and from policy frameworks to practical implementation.” His ultimatum – “We must design them together or they will collapse separately” – drew sustained applause from assembled leaders and business executives.
Private sector leaders welcomed Tinubu’s recognition that “governments must provide the right environment—law, order, and market-friendly policies—while the private sector drives growth.” Many saw this as signaling potential reforms to ease cross-border business operations.
As the three-day summit continues, delegates face mounting pressure to deliver actionable commitments rather than another round of empty promises. Tinubu’s closing vision – “a West Africa that is investable, competitive, and resilient” – now serves as the benchmark against which this gathering will be judged.
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