Nigeria and the Republic of Benin have signed an integration agreement aimed at deepening bilateral ties and serving as a model for broader cooperation within the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).
The agreement was sealed on Saturday at the inaugural West Africa Economic Summit (WAES) in Abuja, with Nigerian President Bola Tinubu and Benin Republic President Patrice Talon leading the high-level diplomatic engagement.
The signing ceremony was witnessed by top officials from both countries, including Nigeria’s Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Dr. Jumoke Oduwole, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, Benin’s Minister of Industry and Trade, Shadiya Alimatou Assouman, and Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, Shegun Adjadi Bakari.
President Talon described the agreement as a bold and practical step toward real regional integration. “President Tinubu and I have agreed on full integration between Benin and Nigeria. The responsibility now lies with our ministers to implement it. Benin and Nigeria are more than twins—we are the same people. Let us show the region that integration is possible,” he said.
He lamented the stalled state of ECOWAS integration and cited examples such as the underperforming West African Gas Pipeline and the West African Power Pool, which he said had failed to deliver expected results due to administrative bottlenecks.
“It is ridiculous. This failure of regional cooperation wastes resources and undermines integration,” Talon declared, adding that Benin has had to resort to sourcing gas from Qatar via a floating storage and regasification unit.
On logistics and movement, Talon criticised unnecessary checkpoints and harassment along the Lagos–Abidjan corridor. “The road exists. But a businessman should be able to travel from Lagos to Abidjan in hours—not days—without facing harassment at multiple checkpoints. That is not integration,” he said.
He further warned that poverty remains the region’s most dangerous destabilising force, arguing that true integration must translate into economic opportunity. “Poverty is the main threat to democracy, security, and stability. If we do not address poverty through integration, our values will remain hollow,” Talon noted.
Referencing former U.S. President Donald Trump’s protectionist trade stance, he urged West African countries to prioritise their own interests. “The trade war should remind us that nations act in their interest, and so should we,” he added.
President Tinubu, who currently chairs the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government, presided over the summit which precedes the 67th Ordinary Session of the Authority scheduled for Sunday, June 22, 2025, in Abuja.
Leaders from across the region, including Presidents Julius Maada Bio of Sierra Leone and Joseph Boakai of Liberia, also delivered statements reaffirming commitment to regional integration, trade liberalisation, and a single currency.
UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed and WTO Director-General Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala also contributed video messages, reinforcing the importance of coordinated economic policies and trade harmonisation across West Africa.
