In a stirring and unapologetic speech that echoed across the corridors of African diplomacy, Nigeria’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Yusuf Tuggar, has issued a bold warning to West African nations: “Remain economically dependent on colonial masters and be consigned to perpetual poverty.”
Tuggar, speaking at the opening of the 94th Ordinary Session of the ECOWAS Council of Ministers in Abuja, called for a radical shift from external economic dependency to an integrated, self-reliant West African bloc.
“If you remain isolated, you will remain colonised. If you trade with your neighbours, you will take back your destiny,” Tuggar declared.
The two-day session brought together ministers and regional leaders to discuss critical challenges facing the subregion, from collapsing trade corridors to deteriorating peace efforts.
Time to Reclaim Economic Independence
With eyes focused on industrialisation, intra-African trade, and institutional reform, the minister’s message was clear: the current economic model—anchored in exporting raw materials to the West—is broken.
“We must reclaim ECOWAS not as a bureaucratic convenience, but as a revolutionary movement for economic decolonisation,” Tuggar emphasized.
He called on African states to revisit the ideological foundations of regional unions, which, he said, were birthed from the struggle against colonialism—not internationalism.
The Battle Against Barriers
One of the loudest alarms sounded at the summit came from Dr. Omar Touray, President of the ECOWAS Commission, who painted a grim picture of non-tariff barriers choking intra-African trade.
Touray recounted his firsthand experience on the Lagos–Cotonou corridor, where he observed artificial roadblocks stifling cross-border commerce and delaying regional integration.
“Despite countless resolutions and a Presidential Task Force, we are still trapped by the same border bottlenecks. These barriers are not just economic—they are psychological,” Touray warned.
He called for urgent ratification of the WTO Fisheries Subsidy Agreement, swift implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), and formalisation of a Competition Protection Pact among ECOWAS nations.
The Rising Call for Unity
Amid escalating global economic tensions and regional insecurities, the summit called for a fresh wave of unity and collective purpose. Delegates agreed that only a region that stands together could resist the dominance of Western economies and thrive amid global uncertainty.
“This session must be marked not just by dialogue, but by courage,” Tuggar said. “We need decisions that reshape the future of this region.”
The session also addressed inter-regional diplomacy, including the West Africa–European Union Economic Partnership Agreement and recent U.S. tariff shocks impacting African exports.
Touray announced a landmark agreement between Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger to confront terrorism together—a sign of renewed regional solidarity.
A Defining Moment for Africa?
As the summit progressed, one thing became increasingly clear: West Africa stands at a historic crossroads. It can redefine its destiny through internal cooperation and trade, or continue depending on exploitative global structures that offer little room for growth.
If the rhetoric turns into action, this ECOWAS session could be remembered as the moment the region finally pivoted toward genuine independence.
