The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has intensified efforts to deepen regional economic integration and strengthen private sector participation with a high-level engagement involving Africa’s richest businessman, Aliko Dangote.

A delegation from the ECOWAS Commission paid a working visit to Dangote, Chairman of the ECOWAS Business Council (EBC), at the headquarters of the Dangote Group in Lagos, Nigeria, on Monday, 25 May 2026, as part of efforts to operationalise the council and accelerate regional economic development.

The delegation was led by ECOWAS Commissioner for Economic Affairs and Agriculture, Dr Kalilou Sylla, alongside Commissioner for Internal Services, Dr Habib Yaya Bappah. They were accompanied by Gerard Amoi Amangoua, Technical President of the Technical Working Group (TWG) for the ECOWAS Business Council, and other members of the working group.

The meeting focused on advancing the operationalisation of the ECOWAS Business Council, a strategic platform established to enhance private sector participation in the implementation of the ECOWAS regional market agenda and drive economic integration across the sub-region.

The ECOWAS Business Council is expected to serve as a bridge between policymakers and the private sector, creating opportunities for businesses to contribute more effectively to regional trade, industrialisation, investment promotion and economic transformation.

Officials at the meeting underscored the critical role of the private sector in achieving ECOWAS’s vision of a more integrated and prosperous West Africa. The operationalisation of the council is expected to provide a structured mechanism for engaging business leaders in addressing barriers to trade, improving competitiveness and promoting cross-border investments.

The choice of Dangote to chair the council is viewed as a strategic move, given his extensive investments across several West African countries and his longstanding advocacy for regional economic cooperation.

The visit forms part of broader efforts by the ECOWAS Commission to strengthen collaboration with key stakeholders in the region’s economic landscape and ensure that the private sector plays a central role in implementing policies aimed at fostering sustainable growth and development.

With the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) creating new opportunities for intra-African commerce, ECOWAS officials believe a fully operational Business Council will help position West African businesses to take advantage of emerging regional and continental markets.

The engagement in Lagos signals renewed commitment by ECOWAS to harness private sector expertise and investment as a catalyst for economic integration, job creation and long-term prosperity across the West African sub-region.

ECOWAS pushes forward with business council to boost regional economy

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