President Bola Tinubu says West African countries must work in coordination if the region wants to achieve global economic relevance.
Tinubu spoke in Abuja on Saturday while delivering the
opening address at the inaugural West Africa Economic Summit (WAES).
The president urged West African leaders to harness the
region’s youthful population and abundant natural resources for economic
transformation through industrialisation, education, and innovation.
“However, this demographic promise can quickly become a
liability if not matched by investments in education, digital infrastructure,
innovation, and productive enterprise,” he said.
Tinubu also stressed the need for regional cooperation.
“No one country can do this alone,” he told his fellow West
African leaders.
“Our prosperity depends on regional supply chains, energy
networks, and data frameworks. We must design them together—or they will
collapse separately,” he added.
The president criticised the trade barriers across the
subregion.
He expressed concern that with intra-regional trade still
below 10 percent, West Africa must “coordinate or collapse” in the race for
global economic relevance.
“Let us recognise that Africa was left behind in previous
industrial revolutions. We cannot afford to miss the next one,” Tinubu said.
“Our rare minerals power tomorrow’s green technologies, yet being resource—rich is not enough; we must also become value-chain smart and invest in local processing and regional manufacturing.
“The era of ‘pit to port’ must end. We must turn our mineral
wealth into domestic economic value—jobs, technology, and manufacturing.”
He called on the regional leaders to commit to clear
deliverables with actionable outcomes.
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