West Africa’s economic future hinges on regional integration, which has become an urgent economic necessity.
The 2025 West Africa Economic Summit emphasized collective action to boost intra-regional trade, leveraging digital identity systems, and harnessing the region’s growing youth population.
Poor infrastructure hinders regional trade and economic growth.
Unstable policies create uncertainty and undermine investment.
Different identity systems across countries restrict trade and movement.
Intra-regional trade can significantly boost economic growth, with intra-ECOWAS trade averaging $208 billion annually.
A unified digital identity system can facilitate seamless trade, payment integration, and regional services.
Shifting from resource extraction to value-added production can drive industrial growth and job creation.
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu emphasized the need for deeper regional integration, coordinated policies, and better capital mobilization to unlock West Africa’s economic potential.
Ngozi Okonjo Iweala urged ECOWAS to fully implement the African Continental Free Trade Agreement and accelerate regional integration efforts, highlighting the potential of services, digital innovation, and green growth.
Abisoye Coker-Odusote stressed the importance of digital identity in driving financial inclusion, trade, and growth, and called for stronger collaboration among identity management bodies.
