By Onu Okorie

ECOWAS Bank for Investment and Development (EBID) has begun preparations to use its 2027 investment forum to convert mounting global economic uncertainties into opportunities for capital mobilisation, job creation and private-sector expansion across West Africa.
The bank officially launched the 2027 ECOWAS Investment Forum (EIF 2027) in Lomé, Togo, on September 29, setting the stage for the two-day investment gathering scheduled for April 7–8, 2027.
The forum, themed “Resilience and Transformation: Navigating Global Uncertainties and Unlocking Inclusive Growth in the West African Sub-region,” is expected to bring governments, investors, development finance institutions and businesses around bankable projects capable of accelerating regional economic transformation.
Rather than focusing solely on the challenges confronting the sub-region, EBID said the forum would seek to connect those challenges with investment opportunities and financing solutions.
EBID President and Chairman of the Board of Directors, Dr George Agyekum Donkor, said investment remained central to unlocking West Africa’s economic potential, stressing that EIF 2027 would serve as a platform for mobilising capital and strengthening partnerships.
He said the forum would promote sustainable and inclusive investments capable of driving structural transformation across the sub-region.
The initiative is being supported by the Government of Togo, the host country and official partner for the event.
Representing Togo’s Minister for Finance and Budget, Georges Barcola, the Chief of Staff, Mrs Akou Mawussé Adétou Afidenyigba, said the region must increasingly transform global economic disruptions into opportunities for investment.
She said the real measure of the forum would not be the number of participants or discussions generated, but the investments mobilised, projects implemented and jobs created.
Focus shifts to bankable projects
The launch featured a presentation on EIF 2027 and a high-level panel examining investment opportunities and financing mechanisms for sustainable growth.
Representatives of BARTON HEYMAN LIMITED, the African Trade Chamber and Togo’s National Agency for the Promotion and Guarantee of SME Financing (ANPGF) participated in discussions on innovative financing and stronger private-sector involvement.
The emphasis on financing solutions reflects the region’s need to move beyond identifying investment opportunities towards developing projects that can attract both domestic and international capital.
For businesses and governments across West Africa, the forum is expected to provide a platform for project sponsors to engage directly with investors and development finance institutions.
West Africa targets stronger investment flows
The Chairman of the EBID Board of Governors and Guinea’s Minister for Planning, Development and International Cooperation, Honourable Ismael Nabe, formally launched EIF 2027 at the close of the event.
Nabe called for stronger cooperation among governments, investors, development partners and private-sector operators, saying West Africa possesses the resources, human capital and opportunities required to emerge as a major economic hub.
He urged participants to use the 2027 forum to catalyse strategic investment, innovation and partnerships.
The launch marks the commencement of preparations for the April 2027 forum, which is expected to bring together project sponsors, investors, development finance institutions, policymakers and business leaders around opportunities in strategic sectors.
Beyond investment promotion, EBID said EIF 2027 is expected to strengthen public-private partnerships, deepen investment flows and support the sub-region’s broader economic transformation agenda.
The forum could therefore become an important test of West Africa’s capacity to turn its investment potential into actual projects, businesses and employment at a time when governments across the region face growing demands for infrastructure, industrialisation and inclusive economic growth.