West Africa must turn demographic strength, mineral wealth into jobs, industry

Tinubu

By JAMIU JAMODU

President Bola Tinubu on Saturday urged West African leaders to harness the region’s youthful population and abundant natural resources for economic transformation through industrialisation, education, and innovation.

Delivering the opening address at the inaugural West Africa Economic Summit (WAES) in Abuja, President Tinubu described the region’s vibrant, youthful population as its greatest asset.

“However, this demographic promise can quickly become a liability if not matched by investments in education, digital infrastructure, innovation, and productive enterprise,” he warned.

The president emphasised the need for regional cooperation, citing Nigeria’s investments in skills development, digital connectivity, and youth empowerment.

“No one country can do this alone. Our prosperity depends on regional supply chains, energy networks, and data frameworks. We must design them together—or they will collapse separately,” he said.

President Tinubu called for urgent efforts to dismantle trade barriers across the subregion.

He expressed concern that with intra-regional trade still below 10 per cent, West Africa must “coordinate or collapse” in the race for global economic relevance.

On infrastructure and investment, the Nigerian leader urged West Africa to move beyond the export of raw materials and prioritise value-added industries: