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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
UN@80: IPCR Says Charter Offers Guidance to Solving Terrorism, Violent Conflicts
By: Michael Mike
The Institute for Peace and Conflict Resolution (IPCR) has said the principles of the United Nations Charter offers guidance to Nigeria and other African countries bedeviled by terrorism and other violent conflicts.
The message was given by the Director-General of the Institute, Dr. Joseph Ochogwu to commemorate the 80th Anniversary of United Nations.
Ochogwu said: “Today, October 24, 2025, marks exactly 80 years since the entry into force of the United Nations Charter. As the world commemorates this historic milestone, we are reminded of the enduring vision of the Charter to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war, reaffirm faith in fundamental human rights, and promote social progress and better standards of life in larger freedom. This vision remains profoundly relevant to Africa and to Nigeria, where the pursuit of peace, justice, and inclusive development continues to shape our collective aspirations.
“In today’s complex and rapidly changing security environment, the principles of the Charter, namely sovereign equality, peaceful settlement of disputes, and respect for international law offer essential guidance. Across Africa, the persistence of violent conflicts, terrorism, and governance challenges underscores the urgent need to strengthen multilateral cooperation, preventive diplomacy, and mediation capacities. Nigeria’s leadership under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and her experience in regional peacekeeping and conflict resolution affirm our commitment to these ideals and to the transformative role of international law in sustaining peace and security.
“The Institute for Peace and Conflict Resolution (IPCR) stands as a bridge between national policy and global peace initiatives. We reaffirm our partnership with the United Nations, the African Union, ECOWAS, and other stakeholders to promote dialogue, reconciliation, and institution-building. In this decade of action, we must deepen investments in peace infrastructure, youth empowerment, and cross-border cooperation to realize the aspirations of Agenda 2063 and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.”
He added that: “As we look to the future of the United Nations in Africa, the challenge before us is clear: to make peace sustainable, justice accessible, and security inclusive. The continued faith of Member States and communities in the principles of the UN Charter is an enduring source of hope for a more peaceful, secure, and prosperous continent.”
UN@80: IPCR Says Charter Offers Guidance to Solving Terrorism, Violent Conflicts
How Nigeria’s Ancient Storytelling Traditions Shape Modern Identity.
By Fathia Adenike
The heartbeat of Nigeria’s bustling cities and quiet villages lies ìtàn a Yoruba word meaning “story” or “history” a powerful force shaping cultural identity. Across Nigeria’s diverse ethnic landscapes Yoruba, Igbo, Hausa,and beyond. Storytelling isn’t just tradition; it’s a living bridge connecting past, present, and future.It’s an Oral Threads of Heritage,From moonlit Yoruba folktales whispering òrìṣà deeds to Igbo elders recounting ancestral proverbs, Nigeria’s oral traditions transmit values, wisdom, and belongings. These stories embed moral codes, communal bonds, and cosmological maps that ground Nigerians amid rapid change. Ancient myths seep into contemporary Nigerian life. Olókun’s oceanic power meets Lagos’ tech-driven streets; Ọṣun’s fertility echoes in art exploring feminine resilience. Writers like Chinua Achebe Things Fall Apart and Ben Okri The Famished Road weave such mythic threads into explorations of identity, disrupting colonial ruptures.
Today, Nigerian storytelling leaps into digital realms. Podcasts like “The Nairaland Podcast and Twitter threads” retelling folklore showcase ìtàn’s adaptability. Social media becomes a virtual àbù̀ (drumbeat), amplifying voices across Nigeria’s youthful diaspora.
Ìtàn fosters cultural resilience. As Nigeria navigates urbanization, migration, and tech disruption, these stories offer anchors. They articulate collective memory, mediate conflict, and nurture belonging across ethnic lines Igbo, Yoruba.
Hausa in a nation of profound diversity.In Nigeria’s mosaic, ìtàn remains a vital pulse reminding Nigerians, globally, of roots nourishing identity’s complex, beautiful branches. ìtàn remains an irreducible heartbeat reminding Nigerians globally of identity’s deep, branching roots nourishing complex beauty. As Nigeria braids tradition with cutting edge innovation, these stories transmute into luminescent beacons, diachronistic continuity. Resonating poignantly in diaspora conversations spanning oceans.
Echoing vibrantly in Nigeria’s creative expressions celebrating Ultimately, ìtàn transcends mere retrospection; it dynamically sculpts Nigeria’s unfolding narrative vectors. These andaren’t antiquarian tales; they’re heritage-infused blueprints propelling Nigeria’s stories into uncharted tomorrows narratives carrying ancestral essence into modernity’s unspooling scroll. ìtàn brings identity filaments, affirming storytelling as Nigeria’s quintessential cultural DNA.
How Nigeria’s Ancient Storytelling Traditions Shape Modern Identity
ShightVault X Èkó Runners Club: Running Through Lagos, Redefining African Performance Culture
LAGOS, NIGERIA – October 11, 2025 — Nigerian sportswear brand, ShightVault is making bold strides in redefining the culture of movement and style in Africa. The brand recently led a major collaboration with the Èkó Runners Club, hosting a vibrant community event themed “RUNWITHLAGOS” at The Finery, Ikoyi.
The activation brought together over 280 guests, including more than 140 runners who took part in a 5KM morning run through the heart of Lagos. The day unfolded into a full lifestyle experience, from yoga sessions and high-intensity training classes to ice baths, networking, food, drinks, and friendly competitions, blending wellness and urban culture in one energetic celebration.
At the center of it all was ShightVault, showcasing its limited-edition collaborative run-fit, a sleek performance line that sold out quickly at the venue.
Speaking at the event, Riches Efe Arhiakpore, Executive Director of ShightVault, described the collaboration as a reflection of the brand’s growing vision:
ShightVault is more than a sportswear label, it’s a movement. This collaboration with Èkó Runners Club represents how we want to connect fashion, fitness, and community. We’re open to working with more run clubs across the country and internationally as we expand our reach in both the sports and fashion industries.
The event was powered by key sponsors including KNGSMN, Pocari Sweat, ZoneX, Red Bull, and Glacee Table Water, alongside partners who helped deliver one of Lagos’ most engaging fitness activations of the year.
As ShightVault continues to grow beyond Nigeria’s borders, the brand is positioning itself as a global voice for African sportswear innovation, bridging performance, design, and cultural expression in every stride.
ShightVault X Èkó Runners Club: Running Through Lagos, Redefining African Performance Culture
UN@80: IPCR Says Charter Offers Guidance to Solving Terrorism, Violent Conflicts
PRESIDENT TINUBU CHANGES SERVICE CHIEFS
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