Nigeria’s Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Dr. Doris Uzoka-Anite, has announced that over $400 million investment commitments were unlocked at the just-concluded West Africa Economic Summit (WAES), held in Abuja.
Speaking at the summit, Dr. Uzoka-Anite described the investment deals, spanning agriculture, logistics, renewable energy, and digital technology, as a “resounding vote of confidence” in the region’s economic trajectory and Nigeria’s leadership in shaping it.
“These investments represent not just capital inflows but long-term partnerships aimed at transforming sectors that are critical to our shared prosperity,” she said. “We are seeing a clear appetite from investors who believe in the potential of a more integrated and coordinated West Africa.”
She revealed that many of the deals were sealed during closed-door sessions between local and international partners, facilitated by Nigeria’s reform-driven business environment and collaborative policy engagement across ECOWAS member states.
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu who delivered a keynote address, called for greater economic coordination across West Africa.
“We must coordinate or collapse,” the President declared. “In today’s global economy, fragmented markets are disadvantaged markets. West Africa must begin to think, act, and grow together.”
President Tinubu criticised the continent’s long-standing reliance on primary commodity exports, describing it as a “pit-to-port” economic model that enriches others while impoverishing the region.
“For too long, we have dug our wealth and shipped it out raw, only to buy it back at ten times the price,” he said. “That cycle must end. We must now refine, manufacture and add value right here in Africa.”
He laid out a six-point vision to guide West Africa’s transformation: industrialisation, youth empowerment, infrastructure development, institutional reform, private sector engagement, and digital inclusion.
“We need to build value chains that cut across borders,” he said. “If Ghana grows the cocoa, Nigeria processes it, and Côte d’Ivoire packages it, we all win. That’s the vision.”
President Tinubu called for concrete follow-through from regional leaders, cautioning against the usual post-summit inertia.
“This must not be another talk show. We must implement, we must coordinate, and we must deliver. West Africa’s time is now and history will not forgive inaction,” he said.
The summit, which attracted business leaders, policymakers, and development partners from across the region, was themed “Reimagining Economic Integration for Shared Prosperity.”
Key conversations revolved around breaking trade barriers, boosting intra-African commerce, and enhancing regional infrastructure.
