President Bola Tinubu says the opening of the new headquarters of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) in Abuja will renew Nigeria’s commitment to regional integration, peace, industrialisation and shared prosperity across West Africa.
President Tinubu called the new building a symbol of renewal, of resilience, and of confidence in the future of ECOWAS and urged a shift from regional market to regional production base.
Speaking at the inauguration of the new edifice on Thursday in Abuja, President Tinubu, represented by Vice President Kashim Shettima, said; “the new ECOWAS complex, described as the “Eye of Africa,” is a symbol of the region’s collective resolve to preserve the ideals that inspired the founding of the community more than five decades ago.”
“Today marks not only the inauguration of an impressive landmark, but the renewal of a covenant, our covenant with the ideals of regional integration, solidarity and shared prosperity,”he said.
President Tinubu said ECOWAS has remained one of the most respected regional economic communities in the world, with major progress in peace-building, democratic governance, economic cooperation, and the free movement of people, goods and services.
Challenges
However, he warned that the region must not ignore the serious challenges still confronting it, including terrorism, violent extremism, economic vulnerability, food insecurity, climate change, public health concerns and the expectations of a growing youthful population.
The Nigerian leader said the next stage of West African integration must shift from speeches and aspirations to practical economic transformation.
He said; “The hour has come to transform our regional market into a regional production base. Our integration must increasingly be driven by what we produce rather than by what we consume, for a Community that consumes what it does not make will forever live at the mercy of the goodwill of others.”
President Tinubu said deeper industrialisation, stronger regional value chains, expanded intra-regional trade, innovation, manufacturing, and investment must now define the future of ECOWAS.
Opened Door
The President also addressed the recent withdrawal of three member states from the bloc, noting that “the development and the changing security situation in the region have shown that integration can no longer be viewed only through an economic lens.”
“Regional integration can no longer be an economic imperative alone. It has become a comprehensive framework for our collective security, our political stability, our sustainable development and the welfare of our peoples,” he said.
President Tinubu stated that the door of the community must remain open to countries that have chosen to stand apart, stressing the need for renewed dialogue, deeper solidarity and collective responsibility.
He commended President Julius Bio of Sierra Leone, Chairman of the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government, for what he described as steady leadership at a time that demands courage and conviction.
He also congratulated the President and Management of the ECOWAS Commission for delivering the project, saying “the new headquarters reflects the region’s determination to build institutions that can endure.”
Appreciation
The President expressed Nigeria’s and ECOWAS’ appreciation to the Government of the People’s Republic of China for financing the new complex, as well as Shaanxi Construction Engineering Group Company Limited, consultants, Nigerian counterparts and other stakeholders involved in the project.
“May every decision taken within these walls advance the peace, the unity, the prosperity, and the dignity of the peoples of West Africa,” President Tinubu said added.
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