On Saturday, President Bola Tinubu issued a directive to West African leaders, emphasising the importance of utilising the region’s young population.
In particular, he emphasised the importance of industry, education, and innovation to the region’s economic growth.
He made the proclamation during his welcome speech at the first-ever WAES (West Africa Economic Summit) in Abuja. According to Tinubu, the region’s strongest suit is its young, energetic populace.
He cautioned that failure to invest in education, digital infrastructure, innovation, and productive enterprise might cause this demographic potential to turn into a liability.
In highlighting the importance of regional cooperation, he mentioned the investments made by Nigeria in areas such as youth empowerment, digital connectivity, and skills development.
No nation can do this on its own, he said. Regional data frameworks, energy networks, and supply chains are crucial to our economic growth. If we don’t plan them jointly, they’ll fall apart. The president of Nigeria has also called for the elimination of trade restrictions in the area.
He voiced serious worry that West Africa would “coordinate or collapse” if it wants to be considered economically relevant on a global scale, given that intra-regional commerce is still below 10%.