West African industries have proven their strength in various sectors, and now it’s time to safeguard the regional bloc and drive expansion through integration policies, according to the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu.
Speaking at the maiden West Africa Economic Summit (WAES) in Abuja, Ambassador Odumegwu-Ojukwu said, “West African industries have already proven their strength through significant achievements in banking, digital services, agriculture, and extractive.
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We are not here to debate how to build industries; we have shown that we can lead and scale sectors to meet regional demands and enrich global markets.”
The Minister stressed that the region’s focus should now be on safeguarding its economic sovereignty through farsighted integration policies and reforms.
“The task before us now is to safeguard our regional bloc and drive the expansion of our industries through farsighted integration policies and reforms that reinforce our economic sovereignty,” she stated.
Ambassador Odumegwu-Ojukwu pointed out the region’s unique strengths, including its shared demographic and economic history, common commodities, and interconnected markets.
“As West Africans, we share a deep-rooted demographic and economic history shaped by regional mobility and trade. Our common commodities and interconnected markets have long fostered an environment of free trade and cultural exchange,” she said.
The Minister called on participants to engage fully, think boldly, and leave the summit with concrete outcomes that will advance trade and investment across West Africa.
“Let this Summit not be just another meeting, but a turning point, a moment of collective resolve to translate potential into prosperity,” she emphasized.
The two-day summit aims to deepen economic cooperation, unlock trade and investment potential, and craft a future of shared prosperity for the people of West Africa.
Also speaking, the Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Jumoke Oduwole, called for greater economic integration in West Africa, stressing that the region’s businesses cannot scale if markets remain fragmented.
Oduwole explained that inter-African trade is not just an economic ambition, it’s the practical path towards creating better jobs and stronger businesses, facilitating economic integration, and enhancing competitiveness and more connected markets across West Africa.
The minister noted that despite shared borders, language clusters, and decades of integration efforts, trade among West African countries remains under 10%.
“Achieving one market requires harmonizing product standards to unlock cross-border supply chains, aligning customs procedures to reduce delays and corruption, and investing in digital platforms for predictable and paperless trade processes,” she said.
Oduwole, while speaking further, cited Nigeria’s commitment to the ECOWAS Trade Liberalization Scheme and the ECOWAS Common External Tariff, as well as its efforts to accelerate the implementation of preferential tariff regimes on the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
“Nigeria has been preparing for this moment. We gazetted our provisional schedule of tariff concessions for trading goods under the AfCFTA framework in April 2025,” she said.
The minister also pointed out the need for smart protection, safeguarding infant industries while promoting competitiveness and reducing reliance on imports that can be sourced within the region. “Beyond tariffs, scale is the game changer. We must support businesses not only to survive, but to grow across borders,” she said.
Oduwole announced that Nigeria has taken deliberate steps to address these issues, including the establishment of the multi-stakeholder AfCFTA Central Coordination Committee and the Single Window Project to facilitate trade.
She, therefore, called for new partnerships, strengthened trade architecture, and collective action to move West Africa from potential to performance. “Let us build a West Africa that trades more with itself, skills faster, and prospers together,” she said.
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