ECOWAS Sounds Alarm as 90% of West Africa’s Economy Remains Informal

…Parliament pushes sweeping reforms to unlock MSMEs, create jobs, tackle insecurity

By: Michael Mike

The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Parliament has raised concern over the dominance of the informal sector in West Africa, warning that nearly 90 per cent of economic activities and at least 60 per cent of the region’s workforce remain outside the formal economy, a situation lawmakers said is undermining economic growth, job creation and regional competitiveness.

The parliament on Monday called for far-reaching policy reforms to formalise and strengthen Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs), describing the sector as central to achieving economic transformation, reducing poverty and addressing insecurity across the sub-region.

The warning came at the opening of a Joint Committee meeting of the ECOWAS Parliament in Cotonou, Republic of Benin, where lawmakers, policy experts, private sector operators and development partners began deliberations on strategies to integrate millions of informal businesses into the formal economy.

Delivering the opening remarks on behalf of the Joint Committee on Industry and Private Sector, Macroeconomic Policy and Economic Research, Administration, Finance and Budget, and Public Accounts, Co-Chairperson, Hon. Alhagie Darbo said the statistics reflected both the entrepreneurial resilience of West Africans and the failure of existing policies to support business growth.

According to him, while MSMEs remain the backbone of local economies by creating jobs, driving innovation, promoting entrepreneurship, empowering women and youths and facilitating cross-border trade, the overwhelming majority continue to operate informally, preventing them from accessing finance, technology, markets, business support services and legal protection.

“It is estimated that the informal sector accounts for nearly 90 per cent of economic activities and employs not less than 60 per cent of our labour force across member states,” Darbo said.

“While this demonstrates the entrepreneurial spirit of our people, it also highlights the urgent need to create enabling policies that encourage formalisation, improve productivity and integrate MSMEs into regional and continental value chains.”

He stressed that formalising small businesses was no longer just an economic objective but a strategic necessity for poverty reduction, sustainable development and regional integration.

Darbo urged ECOWAS member states to dismantle barriers limiting the growth of MSMEs through harmonised policies, improved access to finance, digital transformation, stronger productive capacity and greater participation in regional value chains under both the ECOWAS Trade Liberalisation Scheme (ETLS) and the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).

He noted that the objectives align with ECOWAS Vision 2050, the regional bloc’s long-term development agenda aimed at building a peaceful, prosperous and fully integrated West Africa driven by inclusive economic growth.

Declaring the meeting open, Speaker of the ECOWAS Parliament, Hon. Hadja Memounatou Ibrahima, represented by Second Deputy Speaker Hon. Adjaratou Coulibaly, linked economic empowerment to the region’s growing security challenges.

She argued that expanding opportunities for women and young people through thriving MSMEs would help reduce unemployment and address some of the underlying drivers of insecurity confronting several ECOWAS member states.

According to her, empowering citizens to participate meaningfully in economic activities is one of the most effective long-term strategies for promoting peace and stability in the region.

The committee is expected to produce recommendations for consideration by ECOWAS institutions and member states, with the aim of creating a more business-friendly environment capable of accelerating industrialisation, boosting intra-African trade and making West African economies more globally competitive.

MSMEs account for more than 90 per cent of businesses in many African countries and are recognised as the largest source of employment outside government. Despite their importance, many operate in the informal economy because of burdensome regulations, multiple taxation, inadequate infrastructure, limited access to affordable finance and weak institutional support.

The challenge has become more pressing as ECOWAS intensifies efforts to deepen regional integration through the ECOWAS Trade Liberalisation Scheme and the African Continental Free Trade Area, both of which require competitive and formalised businesses capable of participating in cross-border commerce.

Economic experts have repeatedly argued that bringing more businesses into the formal sector would expand government revenues, improve access to credit, strengthen productivity and position West Africa to compete more effectively in the global economy.

ECOWAS Sounds Alarm as 90% of West Africa’s Economy Remains Informal

NDLEA Hunts Down Fugitive Drug Kingpin After 10 Years, Ex-International Footballer Jailed in Cocaine Bust

By: Michael Mike

In a dramatic conclusion to a decade-long manhunt, the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has secured a combined 24-year jail term against a fugitive drug kingpin who evaded justice for nearly 10 years and a former international footballer linked to a cocaine trafficking syndicate, in what the agency described as a strong message that no trafficker can outrun the law.

Justice Musa Kakaki of the Federal High Court in Lagos convicted and sentenced fugitive drug kingpin, Ntoruka Chinedu, to 22 years imprisonment, while former professional footballer Segun Hunkarin was sentenced to two years for their roles in the unlawful importation of cocaine into Nigeria.

The landmark judgment capped a case that began in 2015 when Chinedu was first arraigned for importing 6.250 kilogrammes of cocaine. After pleading not guilty and securing bail, he absconded midway through trial, disappearing for almost a decade before being tracked down by NDLEA operatives.

His arrest came on June 24, 2025, at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, as he attempted to smuggle another 800 grammes of cocaine into Nigeria aboard an Ethiopian Airlines flight from Addis Ababa.

The spokesman of the anti-narcotics agency, Femi Babafemi in a statement on Monday, said investigations revealed that Chinedu, a frequent traveller involved in the clothing trade between Turkey and Nigeria, had collected the drug consignment during a stopover in Ethiopia before heading to Lagos.

He noted that further surveillance led operatives to former professional footballer Segun Hunkarin, who was waiting in the airport car park to receive the illicit consignment. During interrogation, Hunkarin admitted he had trafficked drugs twice from Brazil to Ethiopia while pursuing his football career in South America.

Delivering judgment, Justice Kakaki sentenced Chinedu to 20 years imprisonment without an option of fine for the 2015 cocaine importation case and an additional two years for conspiring with Hunkarin to import the 800 grams of cocaine in 2025.

Hunkarin received a two-year prison sentence on the conspiracy charge, bringing the total jail terms handed down to both convicts to 24 years.

The court rejected appeals by defence lawyers seeking non-custodial punishment through fines, holding that the offences warranted custodial sentences after reviewing the evidence and legal authorities presented by the prosecution.

Reacting to the judgment, NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Brig. Gen. Buba Marwa (Rtd), hailed the verdict as proof that drug traffickers cannot permanently escape justice.

He said the successful re-arrest of Chinedu after nearly a decade underscored the agency’s determination, patience and intelligence-led operations in pursuing fugitives irrespective of how long they remain on the run.

Marwa also commended the judiciary for reinforcing Nigeria’s anti-drug campaign and praised the officers involved in the arrest, investigation and prosecution of the case.

mmitted to pursuing traffickers across borders and bringing them to justice, regardless of their social status, profession or the length of time spent in hiding.

NDLEA Hunts Down Fugitive Drug Kingpin After 10 Years, Ex-International Footballer Jailed in Cocaine Bust

Global HIV Response Falters as Funding Cuts Raise Fears of Resurgenc

By: Michael Mike

The global fight against HIV/AIDS is at a critical turning point, with new data from the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) warning that reductions in international funding and cuts to prevention and community health services are threatening decades of progress against the epidemic.

A special report released on Monday at the 26th International AIDS Conference in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, revealed that an estimated 1.2 million people acquired HIV in 2025, while 570,000 people died from AIDS-related illnesses, underscoring the fragility of the global response despite significant scientific advances.

According to UNAIDS, unless urgent action is taken to meet global targets by 2030, more than three million additional people could become infected with HIV over the coming years.

Although HIV infections and AIDS-related deaths remain at their lowest levels in more than three decades, the agency warned that the gains achieved since the peak of the epidemic are increasingly under threat.

The report showed that around nine million of the estimated 41 million people living with HIV were not receiving life-saving antiretroviral treatment in 2025, while nearly half of all children living with the virus lacked access to treatment.

Progress has also become increasingly uneven. While seven countries—Benin, Eswatini, Kenya, Lesotho, Nepal, Rwanda and Zimbabwe—have reduced new HIV infections by almost 80 per cent since 2010, infections increased across three regions and in 21 countries during 2025.

UNAIDS Executive Director Winnie Byanyima said recent scientific breakthroughs have transformed HIV prevention, with long-acting injectable medicines now offering protection levels approaching those of vaccines. However, she stressed that these innovations will have little impact without affordable and equitable access.

“Scientific breakthroughs are giving us tools that previous generations could only dream of,” Byanyima said. “However, innovation without access is not innovation—it is injustice. The real measure of success is whether people who need these medicines can obtain them at prices they can afford.”

Countries such as Brazil, Ethiopia, Uganda and South Africa have expanded access to HIV prevention medicines through domestic investments and negotiations to lower drug prices. However, UNAIDS noted that access remains limited globally, despite promising developments including twice-yearly injectable prevention drugs such as lenacapavir.

While UNITAID, the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, and development partners aim to reach three million people with lenacapavir by 2028, UNAIDS estimates that at least 20 million people require access to antiretroviral-based prevention to significantly reduce new HIV infections worldwide.

A major concern highlighted in the report is the sharp decline in international financial support.

Global official development assistance fell by 23 per cent in 2025, representing the steepest annual decline on record. International HIV financing also dropped by more than US$1.5 billion, from US$8.8 billion in 2024 to US$7.3 billion in 2025, the lowest level recorded in nearly two decades.

The funding reductions have had particularly severe consequences for low-income African countries, many of which relied on international donors for more than 90 per cent of their HIV response.

“The era of relying on international aid is over,” Byanyima said. “Countries cannot wait and they cannot go backwards. The world must urgently repair the global financial system and accelerate debt restructuring so governments can invest in health, education and the future of their people.”

The report warned that HIV prevention programmes are especially vulnerable because they have traditionally depended heavily on donor funding. In sub-Saharan Africa, approximately 80 per cent of prevention funding came from international assistance.

Community-led organisations, which provide essential services to people living with HIV and vulnerable populations, are also facing severe financial pressure. UNAIDS said some countries have already recorded reductions of 50 per cent in community-led HIV prevention and care services, 85 per cent for programmes serving gay men and other men who have sex with men, 82 per cent for sex workers, and 72 per cent for survivors of gender-based violence.

Funding for condom distribution has also fallen by more than 90 per cent in some countries, raising concerns over increased HIV transmission.

Beyond funding challenges, UNAIDS warned that shrinking civic space and growing criminalisation of vulnerable populations are undermining the HIV response. For the first time since the agency began tracking legal trends, the number of countries criminalising key populations has increased.

In 2025, Burkina Faso and Niger introduced laws criminalising same-sex sexual activity, while Senegal strengthened penalties in 2026. UNAIDS reported that globally, 66 countries criminalise same-sex sexual relations, 168 criminalise sex work, 152 criminalise possession of small quantities of drugs, and 14 criminalise transgender people.

“You cannot end AIDS while criminalising people living with or most at risk of HIV,” Byanyima said, warning that fear of arrest, discrimination and violence discourages people from seeking HIV testing, prevention and treatment services.

Despite these setbacks, UNAIDS pointed to a positive development in June 2026 when 149 United Nations Member States adopted a new Political Declaration on HIV and AIDS aligned with the Global AIDS Strategy 2026–2031.

The declaration sets ambitious targets to place 40 million people on treatment, provide 20 million people with access to antiretroviral-based prevention, and significantly reduce stigma, discrimination, gender inequality and punitive laws by 2030.

UNAIDS estimates that achieving these commitments could prevent an additional 3.2 million new HIV infections and 1.3 million AIDS-related deaths before the end of the decade.

The agency urged governments, international partners and donors to renew their commitment to financing, innovation and human rights to prevent a resurgence of the epidemic.

“Despite enormous challenges, ending AIDS is still within reach,” Byanyima said. “The choice before us is clear: retreat and risk resurgence, or rethink, rebuild and rise to end AIDS as a public health threat by 2030.”

Global HIV Response Falters as Funding Cuts Raise Fears of Resurgenc