Tinubu urges ECOWAS to prioritise production over consumption

President Bola Tinubu on Thursday reaffirmed Nigeria’s commitment to regional integration, peace and economic cooperation as the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) inaugurated its new headquarters in Abuja.

Represented by Vice President Kashim Shettima at the commissioning ceremony, Tinubu described the new ECOWAS complex as a symbol of the bloc’s renewed commitment to unity, resilience and shared prosperity more than five decades after its establishment.

“Today marks not only the inauguration of an impressive landmark, but the renewal of a covenant—our covenant with the ideals of regional integration, solidarity and shared prosperity,” the President said.

Tinubu said ECOWAS has made significant strides in promoting peace, democratic governance, economic cooperation and the free movement of people, goods and services across West Africa.

He, however, noted that the region continues to face challenges, including terrorism, violent extremism, food insecurity, climate change, economic vulnerability and growing youth unemployment.

The President called on member states to move beyond viewing ECOWAS as a common market and instead build a regional production base capable of driving industrialisation and economic growth.

“The hour has come to transform our regional market into a regional production base. Our integration must increasingly be driven by what we produce rather than by what we consume,” he said.

According to him, strengthening manufacturing, regional value chains, innovation, investment and intra-African trade should define the next phase of ECOWAS integration.