Tinubu to West African Leaders: “Coordinate or Collapse” in Global Economic Race
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has urged West African leaders to take decisive action to convert the region’s youthful population and rich natural resources into sustainable economic growth through industrialisation, innovation, and regional cooperation.
Speaking at the opening of the inaugural West Africa Economic Summit (WAES) in Abuja on Saturday, June 21, 2025, President Tinubu, who also chairs the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government, said the region’s youth represent its greatest economic strength—if matched by bold investments.
“However, this demographic promise can quickly become a liability if not matched by investments in education, digital infrastructure, innovation, and productive enterprise,” he warned.
The Nigerian president highlighted his country’s efforts in youth empowerment, digital connectivity, and skills development but emphasised the need for regional collaboration.
“No one country can do this alone. Our prosperity depends on regional supply chains, energy networks, and data frameworks. We must design them together—or they will collapse separately,” he said.
He also sounded a note of urgency over the state of intra-regional trade, which remains below 10 percent, calling for the immediate dismantling of trade barriers. “West Africa must coordinate or collapse,” he cautioned, insisting that economic relevance on the global stage demands unified action.
President Tinubu stressed the need to shift from raw material export to industrial value addition.
“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,” he said. “The era of ‘pit to port’ must end. We must turn our mineral wealth into domestic economic value—jobs, technology, and manufacturing.”
On the role of government and the private sector, he asserted, “The fundamental transformation will not come solely from government, but from unleashing our people’s entrepreneurial spirit. Governments must provide the right environment—law, order, and market-friendly policies—while the private sector drives growth.”
Calling for a results-driven outcome from the summit, Tinubu charged fellow leaders and stakeholders to commit to clear and impactful actions: “Let us emerge from this summit with actionable outcomes: a renewed commitment to ease of doing business, enhanced intra-regional trade, improved infrastructure connectivity, and innovative ideas that move our people from poverty to prosperity.”
The president concluded with a powerful call to action: “Our task is to find new and effective ways to invest in our collective future… Let us build a West Africa that is investable, competitive, and resilient—one that leads with vision, responsibility, and unity.”
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