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From Aidoghie Paulinus, Abuja
The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Maitama Tuggar, has said the West Africa Economic Summit (WAES) billed to hold in Abuja this week, is designed to serve as a strategic platform for shaping the economic future of West African sub-region.
Tuggar, while announcing Nigeria’s readiness to hold the summit at a press conference in Abuja, disclosed that the summit will bring together, heads of state, ministers, private sector leaders, development partners, and youth innovators from across West Africa and beyond.
Themed “West Africa Economic Summit: Unlocking Trade and Investment Opportunities in the Region,” Tuggar also said as a government, Nigeria recognised that sustainable development, peace, and prosperity in West Africa were best achieved through enhanced regional cooperation and economic integration.
“Economic integration requires the active partnership of the private sector and cannot be exclusively state-centric. WAES 2025 reflects this conviction,” Tuggar said.
Speaking on the strategic objectives of the summit, Tugar also said WAES 2025 is solutions-oriented initiative that seeks to establish a harmonised trade policy framework to eliminate barriers to intra-African commerce and investment; mobilise resources for critical infrastructure, energy, and logistics to improve the free movement of goods and people; promote inclusive economic growth, with particular attention to empowering women, youth, and small and medium enterprises (SMEs); and enhance West Africa’s economic resilience through innovation, institutional reforms, and strategic global partnerships.
On the highlights of the summit, Tuggar stated that it will feature a presidential roundtable and chief executive officers forum, a high-level dialogue between heads of state and business leaders, culminating in a Joint communiqué that articulates shared regional priorities and a concrete plan of action.
He added that WAES 2025 is a reaffirmation of Nigeria’s commitment to the ECOWAS vision of a borderless, peaceful, and economically integrated West Africa.
“It aligns seamlessly with continental objectives under Agenda 2063 and the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA). The summit will address: The facilitation of cross-border trade and logistics.
“The advancement of regional macroeconomic stability and value chains.
“The reinforcement of institutional cooperation, peace, and governance.
“As Minister of Foreign Affairs, I extend a warm invitation to regional leaders, continental institutions, development partners, private investors, and civil society actors to converge in Abuja for what will be a landmark moment in West Africa’s economic evolution.
“Together, through WAES 2025, we take deliberate steps toward a prosperous, united, and globally competitive West Africa,” he further said.
