From Vision to Action: WAES 2025 Unfolds

WAES 2025 signals a defining moment in West Africa's economic journey-and in this special analysis, ABDULLAHI MUSBAU, Head of Editorial, BusinessNG, Abuja, explains why it matters. Written during a chat with ALKASIM ABDULKADIR, Special Assistant on Media and Communications Strategy to the Honourable Minister of Foreign Affairs and Lead, Media and Communications for WAES 2025, the piece highlights how strategic leadership, youth inclusion, and private sector investment can transform the region. More than a report, it is a call to action-a push to rethink West Africa's future as a unified, self-driven economic powerhouse.

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As dawn breaks over Lagos, Abidjan, Accra and other cities across the West African region, a quiet but powerful transformation is underway. It is not marked by protests or political agitation, but by a deliberate and coordinated shift toward economic self-determination. This transformation is taking shape through the West Africa Economic Summit (WAES) 2025-a defining moment for the region, scheduled to take place on June 20 and 21 in Abuja, Nigeria.

WAES 2025 is more than just another high-level conference. It is the bold fulfilment of a promise made by Nigeria's President, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, during his inaugural address as Chairman of ECOWAS. At the time, Tinubu committed to organizing a landmark summit that would harness the region's collective economic potential. Now, that promise is materializing. The summit, themed "Unlocking Trade and Investment Opportunities in the Region," is being positioned as a transformative forum for regional integration, investment promotion, and sustainable development. The ambition is to bring together leaders, policymakers, the private sector, and youth under one roof to shape a new economic vision for West Africa.

The West Africa Economic Summit draws inspiration from ECOWAS Vision 2050, which emphasizes "an ECOWAS of the Peoples: Peace and Prosperity for All."The summit embodies that spirit by fostering a future where economic policies are driven by collaboration, where governments work hand-in-hand with the private sector, and where young people are not simply participants, but priority stakeholders. The summit is a recognition that West Africa must move past dependence, fragmentation, and missed opportunities to build a region defined by unity, prosperity, and resilience.