The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Yusuf Maitama Tuggar, said Nigeria including some ECOWAS members possesses rare minerals vital to most industries upon which the future will be built.

Tuggar spoke at the West Africa Economic Summit (WAES) held recently in Abuja. The event was attended by other Heads of State, Foreign Affairs Ministers, Members of the Senate, Top Government Function­aries, Traditional Rulers, and Members of the Diplo­matic Corps, among others.

Speaking on what the region can offer at the global stage, the Min­ister affirmed, “We could think of similar examples of what we can offer in the international market where we can do better, for each other in the region. Bring that investment, bring that local processing, and let’s see our transport, economic our transport, economic infrastructure, and other building blocks for prosperity grow.”

The Minister called on member countries of the region to see the future and take control of their destiny, by demonstrating that West Africa can deliver the states, where govern­ment, industries, and other stakeholders can meet and make deals without shiv­ering from one summit to another.

Tuggar further asserted that West Africa, which has the skill, talent, and critical mass that no individual state alone can match, for centuries, was an equal partner in international trade but was left behind during the industrial rev­olution and partners of development that reduced its comparative advan­tage, leaving it to struggle for fair market access and finance.

He said the market competition by countries of the region is healthy, and it is in the interest of all to sustain it and make it positive for all stakeholders. He added, “west Africa can and should be part of this revo­lutions.”

“As gov­ernments, states, and the region, we need to do more to make it easy and activ­ities within the informal sector bring with it the economies of scale, and other efficiency that will accelerate growth, and help our entrepreneurs,” he said.

The Minister asserted that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu envisioned the establishment of the summit upon assuming the role of ECOWAS chairman in 2023. His extensive experience in both the private sector and public service, coupled with his broad travels as a Nigerian, instilled in him a profound sense of the immediacy of the situation.