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Tinubu: Businesses in West Africa Cannot Reach Full Potential with Fragmented MarketsCalls for Greater Economic Integration
Tinubu: Businesses in West Africa Cannot Reach Full Potential with Fragmented Markets
Calls for Greater Economic Integration
By: Michael Mike
President Bola Tinubu has called for greater economic integration in West Africa, insisting that the region’s businesses cannot reach their full potential if markets remain fragmented.
The Nigeria’s President while lamenting that West Africa’s intra-regional trade remains a challenge at 10%, noted that this figure can no longer be ignored.
Speaking at the West Africa Economic Summit, Tinubu said, “Intra regional trade remains at 10%, a challenge you can no longer ignore. The low trade is not due to a failure of will, but a failure of coordination.”
The President noted that West Africa is one of the last great frontiers of economic growth, but however added that opportunity alone does not guarantee transformation.
He said: “Opportunities, not just wishful thinking, we must earn it through vision integration, policy coherence, collaboration, and capital alignment.”
The Nigerian President called for collective action, investment in infrastructure, and coordinated policies to drive growth, stating that: “We must together strengthen our regional value chains, invest in infrastructure and coordinate our policies.”
He stated that the region’s greatest asset is its youthful population, but however said this demographic promise can quickly become a liability if not matched by investments in education, digital infrastructure, innovation, and productive enterprise.
He said: “Our prosperity depends on regional supply chains, energy networks and data frameworks. We must design them together, or they will collate separately,” he said.
Tinubu, while citing the examples of joint projects that demonstrate what is possible when West African countries work together, said include the Lagos-Abidjan highway and West African power pool. “We must move from declarations to concrete deals, from policy frameworks to practical implementation,” he urged.
The President also stressed the need for West Africa to become more competitive and resilient, investing in local processing and regional manufacturing to unlock the region’s mineral wealth. He said: “The era of ‘from pit to port’ must end. We must turn our mineral wealth into domestic economic value, jobs, technology, and manufacture.”
He called for actionable outcomes from the summit, including a renewed commitment to ease of doing business, enhanced inter-regional trade, improved infrastructure, and innovative ideas to drive growth and prosperity.
He pleaded that: “Let us build a West Africa that is investable, competitive and resilient, one that lives with vision, responsibility and unity.”
On his part, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Yusuf Tuggar, reiterated the region’s potential for growth and development.
He said: “We’re here today to build on that enabling environment. We’re not reinventing the wheel. As an economic community, West Africa enjoys freedom of movement and a framework to facilitate trade, pool electricity, and integrate transport corridors.”
Tuggar however said West Africa’s economic trajectory is unsustainable, with only 8.6% of the region’s $166 billion exports in 2024 remaining within its borders.
He noted that: “Imports followed the same pattern, heavily tilted toward partners outside the continent. Machinery and manufactured goods from China, India, the United States, and the European Union dominate our import flows while we continue to export and process raw materials.”
Tuggar however called for more efforts to bring the informal sector into the formal economy, leveraging economies of scale and efficiencies to accelerate growth.
He said: “As governments, as states, and the region, we need to do more to make it easy to bring that activity within the formal sector,” he said.
He stressed the importance of local processing and investment in the region. “Bring that investment, bring that local processing, let’s see our transport, economic infrastructure and other building blocks for prosperity grow,” he asked .
Tuggar expressed optimism about the region’s potential, citing its rich natural resources and youthful population. He said: “West Africa can and should be part of this.
He said: “I read a couple of weeks ago in an American newspaper that China had a monopoly on some of the rare minerals vital to the new industry in which the future will be built. Not so. We have those same minerals here in Nigeria and across the region.”
Also speaking, the Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Mrs. Jumoke Oduwole said, West Africa is poised to become a formidable economic bloc, capable of attracting capital, scaling industries, and delivering measurable outcomes across borders
The Minister claimed that Nigeria has made bold decisions under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s leadership, including exchange rate reforms, removing false subsidies, and aligning the economy to the African Continental Free Trade Area (AFCFTA).
She said: “These reforms are yielding results, with Nigeria’s non-oil exports rising to $1.8 billion in Q1, a 24% increase over the same period last year.”
Oduwole cited several initiatives that demonstrate Nigeria’s commitment to regional integration and shared prosperity.
“Nigeria has reset its AFCFTA provisional schedule of tariff concessions, affirming its readiness to trade under a common African market.
“The country has also been designated as Africa’s co-champion on digital trade, with President Tinubu playing a pivotal role in the sector. Additionally, the National Talent Export Program (NATEP) has been launched, placing over 2,000 young Nigerians in international remote jobs and earning hard currency.”
“Furthermore, a new air cargo trade corridor has been opened with Eastern African countries, enabled with a market intelligence toolkit for their products, in collaboration with Uganda Air and UNDP.”
She also announced a landmark public-private partnership, the National Export Trading Company, aimed at aggregating, financing, and enabling exports of Nigerian commodities efficiently and competitively.
This initiative will create a pathway for farmers and MSMEs to access formal regional and global markets.
“The West Africa Economic Summit’s deal room showcased nearly $1 billion in live transactions, with over $400 million worth of transactions advancing into investor discussions.”
Oduwole commended the Minister of Foreign Affairs and his team for delivering a world-class summit, saying, “West Africa is open for business. The world is watching and is here with us. Let this summit be a prosperous turning point for us all.”
Tinubu: Businesses in West Africa Cannot Reach Full Potential with Fragmented Markets
Calls for Greater Economic Integration
News
Owo church Massacre: DSS recaptures Ansaru Terrorists Mastermind of deeper life church shootings
Owo church Massacre: DSS recaptures Ansaru Terrorists Mastermind of deeper life church shootings
By: Michael Mike
The Department of State Services (DSS) has recaptured a top commander of the Ansari terrorist group, Abdulazeez Obadaki, believed to have masterminded the August 7, 2012 mass shooting of Christian worshippers at a Deeper Life Bible Church, near Okene, in Kogi State.
At least 19 worshippers, including the pastor were killed, with several others sustaining varying degrees of injuries after three men armed with AK-47 rifles walked into the church and opened fire on the worshippers.
Security sources said Obadaki, who, after the church mass shooting, also masterminded another attack on five commercial banks in Uromi, Edo State, was arrested, but escaped during the July 2022 jailbreak at Kuje Custodial Centre.
Security sources disclosed that the suspected terrorist leader confessed to orchestrating the Kuje Custodial centre jailbreak following his transfer from Kabba Custodial Centre in June 2022.
According to the sources, after over three years of being on the run, DSS operatives in a, well-oiled intelligence operation recaptured Obadaki aka Bomboy, on Friday morning.
This arrest comes barely two months after the secret police arraigned five suspects linked to the 2022 Catholic Church attack in Owo, Ondo State.
During the February 2022 daylight bank robberies in Uromi, Edo State, which instilled widespread fear across the region, several policemen and bank customers were killed, while hundreds of millions of Naira was reportedly carted away.
The secret police has, of recent, been recording a chain of successes in the capture of terrorists and criminal elements across the nation, with its new leadership fast-tracking the trial of the arrested suspects.
Owo church Massacre: DSS recaptures Ansaru Terrorists Mastermind of deeper life church shootings
Wheat Production: Zulum Flags Off FG’s Agricultural Inputs Distribution
By: Our Reporter
Borno State Governor, Professor Babagana Umara Zulum, has flagged off the distribution of critical agricultural inputs for the 2025/2026 dry season wheat farming.
The distributed inputs include high-yielding wheat seeds, blended fertilisers, tractors, and pesticides.
The event, held on Saturday at the Jere Bowl in Dusuman, Jere Local Government, marked the commencement of the Federal Government’s intervention programme for wheat cultivation in Nigeria.
The initiative is being implemented under the National Agricultural Growth Scheme and Agro-Pocket (NAGS-AP), a flagship programme of the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security designed to empower farmers and reduce the country’s reliance on food imports.
Governor Zulum, while addressing beneficiaries and stakeholders, noted that the programme aligns with his administration’s commitment to revitalising the agricultural sector.
He said, “Here in Borno State, wheat cultivation is not just a programme; it is a transformative initiative. Through targeted investments in irrigation, mechanisation, quality inputs, and extension services, we are equipping farmers to achieve higher yields, enhance productivity, and contribute meaningfully to national output.”
He further stated, “Borno State has achieved remarkable milestones under our people-centred agricultural vision. Our input support programmes have reached tens of thousands of smallholder farmers, resettled households, women, and youth, providing improved seeds, agrochemicals, and agronomic guidance.”
Zulum commended President Tinubu’s food security initiative under the Renewed Hope Agenda. He stated, “Let me begin by acknowledging the steadfast leadership of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, whose Renewed Hope Agenda has continued to champion transformative investments in agriculture across Nigeria.”
Zulum also said, “Mr President’s commitment to food security and national productivity provides the foundation upon which programmes like this are built.”
The governor expressed gratitude to the Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, noting, “I also express profound appreciation to the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, under the leadership of the Honourable Minister, His Excellency Senator Abubakar Kyari, for sustaining this national programme and for selecting Borno State as one of the priority locations for scaled wheat production.”
Speaking earlier, the Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Senator Abubakar Kyari, noted that 16 states will benefit from the NAGS-AP wheat component of the 2025/2026 season.
“Today, the wheat component of the NAG-AP programme covers 16 wheat-producing states of the federation. These are Adamawa, Bauchi, Borno, Cross River, Gombe, Kaduna, Kano, Kebbi, Niger, Plateau, Sokoto, Taraba, Yobe, and Zamfara,” Sen Kyari said.
According to the minister, “for the current 2025/2026 season, the programme is targeting 80,000 registered farmers with an expected output value of approximately N160b.”
He added, “Out of the 40,000 hectares earmarked for wheat production, the 2025/2026 dry season, 3,000 hectares have been allocated to Borno State, representing 6,000 wheat farmers. This support will be followed by the second phase of the programme, which will promote the cultivation of other priority top value chains across the state.”
Delivering the welcome address, Borno’s Commissioner for Agriculture and Natural Resources, Engr Bawu Musami, enumerated the achievements of the Zulum administration in the agricultural sector.
The commissioner stated that an ambitious South Sudan irrigation scheme and Baga Folders projects have been activated, with thousands of farmers cultivating a variety of produce.
The occasion was attended by the senator representating Borno Central, Kaka Shehu Lawan; Member Representing Maiduguri at the House of Representatives, Abdulkadir Rahis; that of Marte, Monguno and Nganzai, Engr Bukar Talba.
Other dignitaries include the Shehu of Borno, Abubakar Ibn Umar Garbai Elkanemi; the Deputy Speaker of Borno State House of Assembly, Engr Abdullahi Askira; the Acting Chief of Staff, Dr Babagana Mustapha Mallumbe; and other senior government officials.
Wheat Production: Zulum Flags Off FG’s Agricultural Inputs Distribution
Zulum Launches Agricultural Input Distribution Under NAG-SP Dry Season Wheat Programme
By: Our Reporter
Borno State Governor, Prof. Babagana Umara Zulum, has launched the distribution of agricultural inputs under the Nigeria Agricultural Growth and Sustainable Productivity (NAG-SP) Dry Season Wheat Production Programme in Indusuman, Jere Local Government Area, marking another milestone in the state’s pursuit of food security and year-round farming.
Speaking at the event, Governor Zulum applauded the Federal Government for its continuous support toward irrigation development. He noted that Borno State, with its vast arable and irrigable land, especially within the Lake Chad basin, remains one of Nigeria’s most promising agricultural frontiers.
The governor reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to sustaining all-season farming through the provision of essential infrastructure, logistics, modern machinery, improved seeds, fertilizers, agrochemicals, and other inputs required to boost productivity and support farmers across the state.
Also speaking, the Minister of Agriculture, Senator Abubakar Kyari, reiterated the Federal Government’s resolve to transform agricultural and food security policies. He emphasized that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration places agriculture at the centre of the Renewed Hope Agenda, with deliberate actions aimed at cutting down food imports and strengthening local production.
Senator Kyari described the rollout of the NAG-SP dry season wheat programme in Borno as a strategic intervention to revive the long-standing irrigation culture across the Lake Chad basin and other farming communities. He added that the distributed inputs would enhance farmers’ resilience and reinforce local food systems.
Earlier in his welcome address, the Commissioner for Agriculture, Natural Resources and Food Security, Engr. Bawu Musami, commended the Federal Government for supporting initiatives that boost national food systems. He noted that the expansion of large-scale irrigation farming to complement the rainy season has already improved productivity, enabling farmers in Borno to cultivate and harvest all year.
Musami highlighted Borno’s natural comparative advantage in agriculture, citing its fertile soil and extensive irrigation potential, particularly around the Lake Chad region. He said the state government is actively restoring and upgrading irrigation schemes in communities that previously relied on year-round farming before insurgency-related disrupt
Zulum Launches Agricultural Input Distribution Under NAG-SP Dry Season Wheat Programme
Owo church Massacre: DSS recaptures Ansaru Terrorists Mastermind of deeper life church shootings
Wheat Production: Zulum Flags Off FG’s Agricultural Inputs Distribution
Zulum Launches Agricultural Input Distribution Under NAG-SP Dry Season Wheat Programme
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