West Africa Must Cooperate For Global Economic Relevance

(AFRICAN EXAMINER) – President Bola Tinubu has stated that West African countries must work together if the region intends to achieve global economic relevance.

Tinubu made this known in Abuja on Saturday when he delivered the opening address at the inaugural West Africa Economic Summit (WAES).

He tasked West African leaders to make use of the youthful population of the region and abundant natural resources to change the economy with the aid of  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.

The Nigerian leader spoke on 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.

He also frowned at trade barriers across the subregion.

According to him, with intra-regional trade still below 10 per cent, West Africa must “coordinate or collapse” if the region intends to compete 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.”

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