Nigeria’s ECOWAS Envoy Backs New Business Council, Says its a Catalyst for Regional Integration.
By Raymond Enoch
In a note of strong endorsement of regional economic integration, Nigeria’s Envoy to the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), Ambassador Musa Sani Nuhu, has described the newly established ECOWAS Business Council (EBC) as a “game changer” poised to tackle longstanding barriers to the free movement of people, goods, services, and capital across West Africa.
Speaking at a hybrid stakeholder preparatory meeting held from September 11–12 in Abuja ahead of the EBC’s official launch, Ambassador Nuhu highlighted the Council as the long-anticipated solution to the challenges undermining the implementation of ECOWAS’s flagship regional protocol on movement, residence, and establishment.
“This initiative marks a turning point,” Ambassador Nuhu stated. “The ECOWAS Business Council will bridge the gap between regional policy and private sector realities. It will serve as a critical platform for unlocking intra-regional trade and investment.”
The two-day session brought together key players from the public and private sectors, regional economic experts, and development partners in a concerted effort to finalize the structure and operational framework of the EBC, which will comprise 21 members from across the ECOWAS member states.
In her keynote remarks, the ECOWAS Commissioner for Economic Affairs and Agriculture, Mrs. Massandje Toure-Litse—whose speech was delivered by the Director of Private Sector, Dr. Tony Luka Elumelu—emphasized inclusivity and broad representation in the Council’s formation.
“Serious efforts are being made to ensure that the EBC reflects the diversity of our region’s private sector,” she said. “This will be a Council not just in name, but in action—advancing practical solutions to economic challenges across borders.”
The ECOWAS Business Council is expected to provide strategic guidance on trade and economic development, facilitate dialogue between governments and private enterprises, and support the full implementation of ECOWAS integration protocols.
The preparatory meeting marks a major milestone in the bloc’s regional integration agenda, as West Africa eyes deeper economic cooperation to counter mounting global and regional economic pressures.
With the Council’s official launch imminent, stakeholders say expectations are high—but so too is the resolve to make it work.
