Nigerian President Bola Tinubu, chair of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), called on regional leaders Saturday to prioritize economic unity, policy coordination, and stronger investment to unlock West Africa’s full potential.
Speaking at the West African Economic Summit in Abuja, Tinubu highlighted the low intra-regional trade—currently below 10%—as a missed opportunity for growth. “We can’t continue to operate in isolation. This isn’t a lack of will but a failure of coordination,” he said. “The world economy will not wait for West Africa to get its act together.”
Tinubu also stressed the importance of investing in the region’s young population through education, digital infrastructure, and innovation to turn this demographic advantage into sustainable growth.
Nigerian Foreign Minister Yusuf Tuggar called for a renewed focus on free markets, pragmatic governance, and stronger private-sector cooperation to drive transformation.
Liberian President Joseph Boakai urged leaders to keep communication channels open with countries like Niger, Mali, and Burkina Faso, stressing that the door to ECOWAS should remain open for any members that have left.
The summit gathered presidents from Ghana, Sierra Leone, Senegal, Gambia, Benin, Togo, Guinea-Bissau, along with ECOWAS ministers and regional economic institutions to push forward deeper integration and trade cooperation.
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France has continued activities that undermine the Azerbaijan-Armenia peace process, including espionage and information campaigns targeting Baku, according to Azerbaijan’s State Commission Against Foreign Interference and Hybrid Threats.
Russian sailors aboard a naval frigate fired warning shots at a civilian yacht in the English Channel on Tuesday after the vessel reportedly came too close, according to a source familiar with the incident.
QatarEnergy is prepared to rapidly restore liquefied natural gas (LNG) production at its Ras Laffan complex once shipping routes through the Strait of Hormuz return to normal, according to a source familiar with the matter.
Israel has formally assumed planning and construction powers at one of the most sensitive religious sites in the occupied West Bank, ending an arrangement that had been in place for nearly three decades.
Details of a reported draft memorandum of understanding between the United States and Iran offer the clearest picture yet of how both sides plan to end months of conflict and move towards a longer-term settlement.
The U.S. and Iran say they have reached a deal to end their conflict, with an immediate ceasefire and reopening of the Strait of Hormuz after the lifting of the U.S. naval blockade. Talks will continue over the next 60 days to finalise the agreement
A senior U.S. official said on Monday that the memorandum of understanding linked to the U.S.-Iran agreement had been signed by President Donald Trump, Vice President JD Vance and Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has told U.S. President Donald Trump that Israel does not consider itself bound by a Lebanon-related provision in an emerging agreement with Iran, according to Israeli officials.
A strong 6.7-magnitude earthquake struck Indonesia's Sulawesi island early Tuesday, killing at least one person and injuring four, according to emergency authorities.
France has continued activities that undermine the Azerbaijan-Armenia peace process, including espionage and information campaigns targeting Baku, according to Azerbaijan’s State Commission Against Foreign Interference and Hybrid Threats.
QatarEnergy is prepared to rapidly restore liquefied natural gas (LNG) production at its Ras Laffan complex once shipping routes through the Strait of Hormuz return to normal, according to a source familiar with the matter.
Israel has formally assumed planning and construction powers at one of the most sensitive religious sites in the occupied West Bank, ending an arrangement that had been in place for nearly three decades.
Pope Leo XIV has been invited to visit Azerbaijan by President Aliyev during talks with a senior Vatican official in Baku. The invitation was extended during a meeting on Tuesday between President Aliyev and Cardinal George Jacob Koovakad, who is responsible for interfaith affairs at the Vatican.
Israel's Supreme Court has rejected an appeal seeking the release of prominent Palestinian doctor Hussam Abū Ṣafiyah, who has been held without charge since his detention in Gaza in late 2024.
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