A senior delegation from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) met with Nigerian officials in Abuja this week to bolster cooperation on trade, industry, and investment, signaling intensified regional integration efforts.
ECOWAS Commissioner for Economic Affairs and Agriculture Massandjé Touré-Litse held talks with Nigeria’s Minister of Industry, Trade, and Investment Jumoke Oduwole, focusing on preparations for the bloc’s upcoming ministerial summit and alignment on global trade negotiations.
Touré-Litse commended Oduwole’s appointment, emphasizing Nigeria’s “strategic role” in advancing ECOWAS’s economic agenda. The discussions centered on Nigeria’s leadership of the fourth Joint ECOWAS Ministerial Meeting on Trade and Industry (ECOMOTI), scheduled for May 2025, where member states will address barriers to intra-regional commerce and industrial growth. Both parties also stressed the need for unified West African positions ahead of critical World Trade Organization (WTO) talks and implementation phases of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
Notably, Touré-Litse announced plans for a Lagos-based Conference on Trade, Investment, and Economic Diversification in late 2025, coinciding with ECOWAS’s 50th anniversary. Oduwole pledged Nigeria’s “full participation,” urging early logistical details to ensure robust engagement. The event aims to showcase regional economic potential amid global supply chain shifts and competition for foreign investment.
The dialogue underscores Nigeria’s renewed push to leverage its status as Africa’s largest economy to shape ECOWAS policies, particularly as AfCFTA gains momentum. While regional trade remains hampered by infrastructural gaps and non-tariff barriers, Abuja’s alignment with ECOWAS priorities reflects a broader strategy to counterbalance external economic pressures and position West Africa as a cohesive market. Analysts note that Nigeria’s cooperation is pivotal for the bloc’s credibility, given its influence over 65% of ECOWAS’s GDP. However, success hinges on translating high-level commitments into tangible cross-border reforms, particularly in harmonizing customs procedures and easing mobility for goods and services.
This engagement follows recent tensions between ECOWAS and military-led states like Niger and Mali, highlighting Abuja’s role as a stabilizing force in the region. With Nigeria currently chairing ECOWAS’s trade ministerial body, the outcomes of May’s ECOMOTI meeting may set the tone for the bloc’s economic trajectory amid competing geopolitical interests and domestic challenges across member states.
