The President of Sierra Leone and fast previous Chair of the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Govt, Julius Maada Bio, and main African investor and Chairman of Heirs Holdings, Tony Elumelu, have referred to as on West Africa’s non-public sector to transport decisively from the promise of regional integration to its supply.
They each referred to as for enhance to mobilise capital, construct aggressive industries, create jobs, and develop into the area’s huge financial possible into shared prosperity.
Webhosting President Bio in Lagos forward of the inaugural West Africa Integration and Funding Summit (WAIIS), Mr Elumelu introduced in combination main non-public sector and fiscal establishment leaders for the inaugural bodily assembly of the WAIIS Non-public Sector Advisory Board.
The assembly occupied with 4 strategic spaces with the possible to reshape West Africa’s financial long run: power industry and industrialisation, strategic minerals, agribusiness, and virtual transformation.
President Bio set out an bold imaginative and prescient for WAIIS to consolidate a regional marketplace of greater than 400 million folks and mobilise companies from inside West Africa and internationally to deepen industry, funding and financial cooperation.
“We’re companions in execution — allow us to develop into concepts into partnerships, partnerships into investments, and investments into lasting prosperity for our continent,” Mr Bio instructed individuals of the Advisory Board.
He added: “However possible isn’t prosperity. Our process is to transform those benefits into productive enterprises, aggressive industries, regional worth chains, jobs and wealth.”
Mr Elumelu welcomed President Bio’s initiative to position non-public capital and undertaking on the center of the regional schedule, reaffirming his dedication to mobilising African and world funding along main African monetary establishments, together with the Africa Finance Company, Afreximbank, United Financial institution for Africa (UBA), Ecobank, and so forth., to enhance the execution of precedence initiatives.
The means displays Mr Elumelu’s philosophy of Africapitalism—the conclusion that the African non-public sector has a defining position to play in catalysing the continent’s financial transformation via long-term funding in essential sectors.
Mr Elumelu wired that Africa’s companies should increasingly more glance past nationwide borders and mix capital, experience and features to construct enterprises and industries able to competing at scale, whilst developing jobs and increasing alternative around the sub-region.
“That is in keeping with our aspirations to create jobs for our younger folks,” Mr Elumelu mentioned. “Now we have all it takes to be wealthy.”
However non-public sector ambition, he famous, should be matched by means of decisive executive motion.
“Governments should give you the coverage simple task, regulatory potency and safety required to provide traders the boldness to dedicate capital for the long run.”
Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, underscored the significance of industrialisation and the unfastened motion of products and products and services in construction a actually built-in West African marketplace. He wired that political leaders should give you the enabling setting, simple task and assurances required for companies to take a position, produce and industry throughout borders.
On the centre of the dialogue was once a shared conviction that West Africa has the dimensions, sources, skill and entrepreneurial capability to turn out to be one of the crucial global’s maximum dynamic financial areas.
With the Summit now not up to two months away, Mr Bio referred to as on individuals of the Advisory Board to transport from advocacy to lively mobilisation: attractive potential traders without delay, matching them with viable initiatives, and figuring out the financing gaps, coverage choices and different interventions required to transport transactions ahead.
WAIIS will happen on 17–18 November 2026 on the Julius Maada Bio World Convention Centre in Lungi, Sierra Leone, bringing heads of state, traders and industry leaders in combination to advance funding throughout power, strategic minerals, agribusiness and virtual transformation.
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Notable names at the WAIIS Non-public Sector Advisory Board are Tony Elumelu — Chairman, Heirs Holdings; Aliko Dangote— Staff President/Leader Govt, Dangote Staff; Folorunso Alakija — Govt Vice Chairman, FA Restricted; Samuel Dossou-Aworet — Founding Chairman, Petrolin Staff; George Elombi — President & Chairman of the Board of Administrators, Afreximbank; and Abdul Samad Rabiu, Chairman/CEO, BUA Staff.
Others are Wale Tinubu — Staff Leader Govt, Oando PLC; Samaila Zubairu — President & Leader Govt Officer, Africa Finance Company; Alain Ebobissé — Leader Govt Officer, Africa50; Jean-Claude Kassi Brou — Governor, Central Financial institution of West African States; Paulo Gomes — Founder and Chairman, Orango Funding Company; Benedict Okey Oramah — Chairman, Africa Buying and selling Minerals (ATMIN); and Habib Yérim Sow — Staff Chairman & CEO, Teyliom Staff.
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