West African leaders and business executives are stepping up efforts to convert regional integration into increased investment, industrial growth and employment, with President Julius Maada Bio and investor Tony O. Elumelu calling for stronger private sector participation.
The appeal came during the inaugural physical meeting of the West Africa Integration and Investment Summit (WAIIS) Private Sector Advisory Board in Lagos, hosted by Elumelu, chairman of Heirs Holdings.
The meeting brought together leading investors and financial institution executives to identify opportunities for cross-border investment in a regional market of more than 400 million people.
President Bio, Sierra Leone’s head of state and immediate past Chair of the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government, said the region needed to move beyond declarations of economic potential and focus on commercially viable projects.
“We are partners in execution, let us transform ideas into partnerships, partnerships into investments, and investments into lasting prosperity for our continent,” Bio said.
He argued that West Africa’s population, natural resources and entrepreneurial capacity would deliver meaningful economic benefits only if they translated into productive businesses, competitive industries and jobs.
The summit will prioritise four areas identified as critical to the region’s economic future: energy trade and industrialisation, strategic minerals, agribusiness and digital transformation.
Elumelu said African businesses needed to expand their ambitions beyond domestic markets and combine capital, expertise and capabilities to build enterprises that could compete at scale.
He reaffirmed his commitment to mobilising investment from African and international sources, working alongside institutions such as the Africa Finance Corporation, Afreximbank, United Bank for Africa and Ecobank.
“This is consistent with our aspirations to create jobs for our young people,” he said. “We have all it takes to be prosperous.”
His position reflects Africapitalism, the philosophy that private sector investment in strategic industries can drive sustainable economic and social development across Africa.
Elumelu also called on governments to provide stable policies, efficient regulatory systems and adequate security, arguing that investors need confidence before committing capital to long-term projects.
Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu reinforced the need for industrialisation and the removal of barriers to the movement of goods and services. He said businesses needed a supportive policy environment to establish operations and trade throughout West Africa.
With the inaugural WAIIS summit less than two months away, Bio urged advisory board members to begin direct engagement with investors, identify suitable projects and establish what financing and policy support would be required to move them forward.
The summit is scheduled for November 17–18, 2026, at the Julius Maada Bio International Conference Centre in Lungi, Sierra Leone. It will bring together heads of state, investors and business leaders to develop investment opportunities across the four priority sectors.
The advisory board comprises influential figures from manufacturing, energy, finance, mining and investment, including Aliko Dangote, Apostle Folorunso Alakija, Samuel Dossou-Aworet, George Elombi, Abdul Samad Rabiu, Wale Tinubu and Samaila Zubairu.
The board also includes Africa50 Chief Executive Alain Ebobissé, BCEAO Governor Jean-Claude Kassi Brou, Paulo Gomes, Benedict Okey Oramah and Habib Yérim Sow.
The initiative seeks to strengthen the links between regional integration and private investment, positioning businesses as central participants in efforts to expand trade, build regional value chains and generate prosperity across West Africa.
