By Admin:
Nigeria’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Yusuf Maitama Tuggar, has urged West African ambassadors to play an active role in the upcoming West Africa Economic Summit (WAES) 2025, which will take place in Abuja from June 20 to 21.
The summit, initiated by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, aims to drive economic integration, unlock trade opportunities, and boost investment across the region.
Speaking during a high-level stakeholder engagement with West African envoys in Abuja, Ambassador Tuggar described the summit as a pivotal moment for redefining the region’s economic direction and reasserting its place in global trade.
“This time, West Africa will rise not as a resource base for others, but as a fully engaged and empowered actor in global trade and transformation,” Tuggar declared.
He called on ambassadors to encourage full participation from their countries, including Heads of State, ministers, business leaders, and youth innovators, saying that the strength of the summit lies in the unity and collective voice of the subregion.
Unlike traditional economic forums driven by institutional bureaucracy, WAES 2025 will focus on pragmatic solutions to intra-regional trade barriers, fragmented infrastructure, and regulatory inconsistencies.
The summit’s non-political format is expected to foster practical, inclusive, and scalable investment opportunities.
According to Tuggar, WAES aims to achieve three critical goals:
Promote regional economic ownership through collaboration beyond ECOWAS structures.
Amplify youth innovation and entrepreneurship via a dedicated Innovation and Enterprise Expo. Foster private sector-led development through active engagement with chambers of commerce and business networks.
He urged the ambassadors to act as WAES champions, mobilizing participation from across their diplomatic, business, and youth constituencies.
Tuggar emphasized President Tinubu’s commitment to regional integration, referencing the President’s pledge as ECOWAS Chair to pursue “an inclusive economic integration of West Africa.”
He noted that President Tinubu had personally sent invitations to fellow West African leaders and appointed Special Envoys to deliver them.
Highlighting the historical role of the West African coast in Atlantic commerce, Tuggar said the summit represents a bold effort to shift the narrative from exploitation to equitable prosperity.
“We are no longer spectators. We now stand at the threshold of a new Atlantic era of prosperity. This time, we will shape its terms,” he said.
The Minister concluded with a call for collaborative action amid rising global protectionism, saying WAES is an opportunity for West Africa to stand united, competitive, and relevant on the world stage.
