By Ama Marcus
West African heads of state, trade envoys, and business leaders gathered in Abuja on Tuesday for the opening of the West Africa Economic Summit 2025, aimed at positioning the region as a global investment hub and deepening integration under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
The high-level summit, hosted by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and organised by Nigeria’s Federal Ministry of Foreign Affairs, opened with strong commitments to leveraging West Africa’s shared history and economic potential to drive intra-African trade and global investor confidence.
Speaking at the opening ceremony, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, described the event as “a landmark moment,” highlighting it as more than a diplomatic formality but a deliberate convergence of policy and enterprise. “This is a platform where leadership must drive innovation,” she said.
Echoing similar sentiments, the Minister of Trade and Investment, Dr. Jumoke Oduwole, emphasized Africa’s position as “the youngest and most resource-rich continent in the world,” while acknowledging the need for accelerated industrial development. She announced that Nigeria had, with presidential approval, gazetted its provisional tariff concessions under AfCFTA in April 2025—a strategic move designed to boost cross-border trade and stimulate economic dynamism across the region.
The summit also focused on West Africa’s rich legacy of mobility, interconnected markets, and shared cultural and economic identity. Delegates agreed that these elements must form the foundation of a unified diplomatic and economic strategy going forward.
The event marks a renewed commitment by regional stakeholders to transform West Africa from a fragmented market into a cohesive economic powerhouse within the broader AfCFTA framework.
