President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is presently attending the West Africa Economic Summit (WAES) at the Bola Ahmed Tinubu International Conference Centre, Abuja.
WAES with focus on enhancing trade and investment cooperation across the subregion, has recorded the attendance of the Presidents of Ghana, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Senegal, The Gambia, Benin, Togo, and Guinea-Bissau.
WAES, an initiative of President Tinubu in his capacity as Chairman of the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government, is the first of its kind and is convened to deepen regional economic integration.
The Economic Summit, which enters its second and final day on Saturday, precedes the 67th Ordinary Summit of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), scheduled to hold at the State House Conference Centre, Abuja on Sunday, June 22, 2025.
The West Africa Regional Summit is expected to yield viable outcomes and deliverables to fast-track West Africa’s integration agenda as a critical foundation for sustainable peace, security, and prosperity in the region.
Those attending the summit are Ministers of Finance, Trade, Infrastructure, and Foreign Affairs from the ECOWAS Member States, as well as representatives from regional economic bodies such as the West African Monetary Agency (WAMA), West African Monetary Institute (WAMI), ECOWAS Bank for Investment and Development (EBID), the West African Economic and Monetary Union (UEMOA), and the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Secretariat.
Policy experts
Private sector leaders, development partners, and policy experts are also participating.
President Tinubu extended invitations to the Member States of the Alliance of Sahelian States and Mauritania to demonstrate his commitment to inclusive dialogue and regional cooperation.
Earlier, the President dispatched a team of Special Envoys to deliver formal invitations to Heads of State and Government across the region.
Ambassador Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, led the delegation, which included Ambassador Sola Enikanolaiye, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Foreign Affairs and International Relations.
Lateefah Ibrahim