By JKNewsMedia
PREPARATIONS ARE in full swing for the 2025 West Africa Economic Summit (WAES), set to take place on 20–21 June at the Abuja International Conference Centre.
The Honourable Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Yusuf Maitama Tuggar (OON), confirmed the event during a Pre-Summit Media Parley in Abuja, emphasising the country’s strategic commitment to regional growth under the leadership of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR.
Addressing journalists, Tuggar outlined the summit’s core purpose: to unlock trade and investment opportunities that can reshape West Africa’s economic landscape.
Themed “Unlocking Trade and Investment Opportunities in the Region,” the summit will convene high-level government officials, private sector leaders, development partners, and young innovators to chart a unified economic future.
Four strategic pillars will guide the summit’s agenda: harmonising trade policy to ease intra-African commerce, mobilising resources for infrastructure and logistics, promoting inclusive economic growth centred on women, youth and SMEs, and enhancing regional resilience through innovation, institutional reform, and strategic partnerships.
Key highlights will include a Presidential Roundtable and CEO Forum where regional leaders and business executives will engage in policy-shaping dialogue, concluding with a Joint Communiqué.
The WAES Deal Room will enable Business-to-Government and Business-to-Business engagements across sectors such as agribusiness, renewable energy, digital finance, and infrastructure.
At the West Africa Business Expo, over 100 investment-ready SMEs and regional development projects will be featured, reinforcing the private sector’s role in driving the AfCFTA agenda.
The Youth and Cultural Empowerment Series will spotlight regional talent through art exhibitions, innovation pitches, and leadership panels.
Tuggar reiterated the summit’s alignment with ECOWAS protocols and Agenda 2063, affirming it as a catalyst for achieving the African Continental Free Trade Area’s long-term goals.
He identified trade facilitation, macroeconomic stability, and institutional governance as critical areas of focus.
“Together, through WAES 2025, we take deliberate steps toward a prosperous, united, and globally competitive West Africa,” Tuggar declared.
He concluded by calling on the media to expand the summit’s reach and coverage, stating, “Let’s tell the world our story.”
WAES 2025 is positioned to be a landmark in the region’s pursuit of economic unity, with Nigeria as the host nation ready to steer collective progress across borders, he said.
