Nigeria & Benin Seal Historic ECOWAS Integration Deal at Abuja Summit

 By: Manoah kikekon

In a landmark move for West African unity, Nigeria and Benin signed a groundbreaking bilateral pact Saturday during the inaugural West Africa Economic Summit (WAES), setting a bold template for ECOWAS-wide integration. 

Presidents Bola Tinubu and Patrice Talon oversaw the signing ceremony, where top officials from both nations inked the agreement aimed at erasing trade and administrative barriers.  

President Talon hailed the deal as a watershed moment: "Benin and Nigeria aren’t just twins we’re one nation. This proves regional integration works when leaders act." He urgently called for ministerial follow-through, criticizing ECOWAS’ "shameful" failures like the dysfunctional West African Gas Pipeline, which forced Benin to import Qatari gas despite regional reserves.  

  

The Beninese leader delivered a blistering assessment of the bloc’s stagnation, citing: Collapsed energy projects: West African Power Pool’s underperformance, Border bottlenecks: Harassment of traders on the Lagos-Abidjan corridor, Poverty threat: "Without wealth creation, our democracy is empty rhetoric."

Liberia’s Joseph Boakai and Sierra Leone’s Julius Maada Bio echoed calls for urgent action, citing debt crises and food insecurity. WTO’s Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala and UN’s Amina Mohammed backed the push via video messages as ECOWAS heads prepare for Sunday’s decisive summit.  

This pact signals a potential reboot for ECOWAS amid Sahelian withdrawals, with Nigeria and Benin leading by example if implementation matches ambition.  

(NAN)