ABUJA: The President of the ECOWAS Commission, Dr. Omar Touray, has called on member states to tap into the immense potential of West Africa’s private sector to foster economic integration and development across the subregion. Dr. Touray’s appeal was delivered during the 93rd Ordinary Session of the ECOWAS Council of Ministers in Abuja, emphasizing the private sector’s crucial role in achieving the bloc’s economic goals.
According to News Agency of Nigeria, Dr. Touray highlighted the importance of supporting local private sector actors, who are key to providing necessary resources, eliminating non-tariff barriers, and implementing regionally agreed policies. He stressed the importance of mobilizing and retaining regional capital within the ECOWAS subregion for the collective benefit of all member states. “We must give our local private sector actors the right of first refusal in any investment opportunity in our community,” he stated.
Dr. Touray outlined ongoing efforts by ECOWAS to deepen regional integrat
ion through various initiatives, including regional energy development, air transport advancements, and telecommunications regulation. He noted significant progress in the merger of the West Africa Gas Pipeline Extension Project with the Nigeria-Morocco Gas Pipeline Project, an initiative aiming to construct a 6,800 km gas pipeline connecting Nigeria to Morocco and potentially extending to Europe.
Further achievements include the implementation of the ECOWAS Roaming regulation, now active in six member states, and the development of a regional strategy to harmonize air transport charges, fees, and taxes. The commission has also revived its regional cooperation in the water sector and launched the “Rice Offensive” project to achieve regional self-sufficiency in rice production by 2035.
Ambassador Yusuf Tuggar, Nigeria’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and Chairman of the Council of Ministers, reiterated the council’s commitment to regional cooperation and the shared vision of a prosperous West Africa. He acknowl
edged the significant challenges faced by the region and the need for collective efforts to overcome them, emphasizing the pivotal moment in ECOWAS’s history and the responsibilities that lie ahead for its member states.