By our Correspondent
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has stated that the commissioning of the new headquarters of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) in Abuja will renew the commitment to regional integration, peace, industrialization, and shared prosperity across West Africa.
Represented by the Vice President, Kashim Shettima, President Tinubu said the new building stands as a symbol of renewal, resilience, and confidence in the future of the regional bloc, and he urged a shift from a regional market to a regional production base.
Describing the edifice as the “Eye of Africa,” he maintained that it is a symbol of the region’s collective resolve to preserve the ideals that inspired the founding of the community more than five decades ago.
“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.
Emphasizing that ECOWAS has remained one of the most respected regional economic communities in the world, adding that the bloc has achieved progress in peacebuilding, democratic governance, economic cooperation, and the free movement of people, goods, and services.
The Nigerian leader warned that the region must not ignore the serious challenges still confronting it, including terrorism, violent extremism, economic vulnerability, food insecurity, climate change, public health concerns, and the expectations of a growing youthful population.
According to him, the next stage of West African integration must shift from speeches and aspirations to practical economic transformation.
“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, for a community that consumes what it does not make will forever live at the mercy of the goodwill of others,” the President said.
Tinubu noted that deeper industrialization, stronger regional value chains, expanded intra-regional trade, innovation, manufacturing, and investment must now define the future of ECOWAS.
The President also addressed the recent withdrawal of three member states from the bloc, noting that the development and the changing security situation in the region have shown that integration can no longer be viewed only through an economic lens. “Regional integration can no longer be an economic imperative alone. It has become a comprehensive framework for our collective security, our political stability, our sustainable development, and the welfare of our peoples,” he said.
He added that the door of the community must remain open to countries that have chosen to stand apart, stressing the need for renewed dialogue, deeper solidarity, and collective responsibility.
President Tinubu commended President Julius Maada Bio of Sierra Leone, Chairman of the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government, for what he described as steady leadership at a time that demands courage and conviction.
He also congratulated the President and management of the ECOWAS Commission for delivering the project, saying the new headquarters reflects the region’s determination to build institutions that can endure.
President Tinubu expressed Nigeria’s and ECOWAS’s deep appreciation to the Government of the People’s Republic of China for financing the new complex, as well as its builders, the Shaanxi Construction Engineering Group Company Limited, consultants, Nigerian counterparts, and other stakeholders involved in the project.
In his remarks, the Chairman of the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government, President Julius Maada Bio of Sierra Leone, said the landmark project affords the regional member states the opportunity to renew their collective promise to the 450 million people of West Africa, while declaring their shared determination to build a more effective regional body.
Bio noted that history does not remember generations for the buildings they construct, but for the lives they transform.
He expressed his appreciation to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for the unwavering commitment to the bloc through sustained financial and leadership support over the years, describing Nigeria as “a great anchor” of ECOWAS.
The Sierra Leone President also appreciated the government of the People’s Republic of China for its “generous donation” of the bloc’s headquarters building.
For his part, the President of the ECOWAS Commission, Dr. Omar Touray, expressed the commission’s deep appreciation to the government and people of China for the generous donation of the monument, which, according to him, will stand as a symbol of regional partnership and integration, and a centre for enhancing coordination and support for the expanding mandate of ECOWAS as a regional body.
Touray recalled China’s contributions and support in many sectors across ECOWAS, including equipment support for the regional standby force and technology adoption, among others, noting that China remains one of the region’s most strategic partners for economic, political, and social transformation.
In a goodwill message, the Chinese Ambassador to Nigeria and ECOWAS, Yu Dunhai, extended his country’s congratulations to the leaders and people of the West African sub-region on the occasion of the inauguration of the edifice, which he noted marks another milestone in China’s commitment to Africa’s integration and an illustration of the country’s lasting bond with Africa.
Ambassador Yu noted that the future of China’s relationship with ECOWAS and, by extension, Africa, is hinged on mutual trust and commitment to a more pragmatic cooperation that enables Africa to independently determine its development aspirations and pathways.
Other dignitaries at the event included Senator Barau Jibrin, representing the Senate President, top Government officials, members of the diplomatic corps among other guests. (GSF)
