Tinubu’s Summit Envoy Meets President Ouattara Ahead of WAES June, 2025
By Raymond Enoch
In a high-level diplomatic engagement aimed at fostering regional economic transformation, President Alassane Ouattara of Côte d’Ivoire on Friday received Her Excellency Ambassador Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, the Special Envoy of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, at the Presidential Palace in Abidjan.
Ambassador Odumegwu-Ojukwu delivered a formal invitation from President Tinubu to President Ouattara for the inaugural West Africa Economic Summit (WAES), scheduled to take place from June 20–21, 2025 in Abuja, Nigeria. The summit, themed “Unlocking Trade and Investment Opportunities in the Region,” is expected to convene regional heads of state, ministers, and private sector leaders to chart a sustainable economic future for West Africa.
The Nigerian delegation included top-level diplomats: Ambassador Sola Enikanolaiye, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Foreign Affairs; Ambassador John Ejinaka, and Ambassador Ahmed Sule.
During the meeting, Ambassador Odumegwu-Ojukwu emphasized the summit’s goal of forging strategic integration and deepening regional cooperation. “WAES 2025 is not just a conference—it is a call to action for a new era of economic sovereignty and shared growth,” she said. “Nigeria is honored to serve as the convener of this critical dialogue.”
President Ouattara, in response, lauded the initiative and expressed Côte d’Ivoire’s full support, calling the summit “timely and essential for regional resilience in a fast-changing global economy.” He commended President Tinubu’s leadership in galvanizing West African states toward unity and sustainable development.
The visit underscores Nigeria’s growing diplomatic momentum in leading regional cooperation efforts. WAES 2025 is expected to be a cornerstone in redefining trade, cross-border investment, and infrastructure collaboration across the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).
This development reflects a broader push by the Tinubu administration to harness Nigeria’s diplomatic capital in building economic partnerships and reshaping the narrative of West Africa as a hub of innovation, enterprise, and inclusive development.
With only a week to the summit, preparations in Abuja are in high gear, with expectations of groundbreaking policy declarations and multi-sector investment commitments poised to emerge from the gathering.
