We Can’t Afford To Miss Next Industrial Revolution, Tinubu Tells ECOWAS Leaders In Abuja

….Decries 10% Intra-Trade In Subregion

President Bola Tinubu on Saturday charged West African leaders to act decisively to avoid being left behind in the next industrial revolution.

Tinubu urged the region’s leaders to shift from resource dependence to value-added economic transformation.

Speaking at the opening of the inaugural West Africa Economic Summit (WAES) at the International Conference Centre in Abuja, Tinubu, who also chairs the ECOWAS, called for deeper regional integration, coordinated investments, and urgent reforms to unlock the region’s economic potential.

“…Africa was left behind in previous industrial revolutions. We cannot afford to miss the next one. Our rare minerals power tomorrow’s green technologies—yet it is not enough to be resource-rich; we must become value-chain smart and invest in local processing and regional manufacturing. The era of pit to port must end. We must turn our mineral wealth into domestic economic value—jobs, technology, and manufacturing.

“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,” said the president.

Tinubu decried the low level of intra-regional trade which remains under 10%, saying the situation is not due to a lack of ambition but rather a “coordination failure” among ECOWAS member states.

“The global economy will not wait for West Africa to get its act together, and neither should we. Rather than competing in isolation or relying on external partners, we must strengthen our regional value chains, invest in infrastructure, and coordinate our policies.

“Our region’s greatest asset is its youthful population. However, this demographic promise can quickly become a liability if not matched by investments in education, digital infrastructure, innovation, and productive enterprise. For example, Nigeria invests in skills development, digital connectivity, and youth empowerment. But 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.

“From the Lagos-Abidjan Highway and West African Power Pool to digital and creative industry initiatives, our joint projects demonstrate what is possible when we work together. But we must do more. We must move from declarations to concrete deals; from policy frameworks to practical implementation,” he added.

Tinubu initiated the summit in his capacity as Chairman of the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government.

WAES is the first of its kind and was convened to deepen regional economic integration, trade and investment cooperation across the subregion.

After the summit, the West African leaders would converge at the State House conference centre on Sunday for the 67th Ordinary Summit of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).

Presidents of Ghana, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Senegal, The Gambia, Benin, Togo, and Guinea-Bissau participated at the summit.

Also present at 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.

We Can’t Afford To Miss Next Industrial Revolution, Tinubu Tells ECOWAS Leaders In Abuja is first published on The Whistler Newspaper