By: Joseph Momoh, Reporter DS
The West Africa Integration and Investment Summit (WAIIS) received a major boost in Abuja, Nigeria, on Sunday, 14 June 2026, after prominent African businessman and philanthropist Tony Elumelu pledged his support for the initiative during high-level talks with Sierra Leone’s President Julius Maada Bio, who currently chairs ECOWAS.
Elumelu committed to providing financial backing and to mobilizing leading African private sector figures to participate in the Summit and its follow-up investment activities, aimed at translating policy frameworks into tangible economic impact.
Scheduled for 16–18 November 2026, WAIIS is being positioned as a flagship platform to deepen economic cooperation across the sub-region. The Summit will convene governments, development finance institutions, investors, and private sector operators to align on concrete projects that can accelerate growth and trade within ECOWAS.
The initiative coincides with the 50th anniversary of ECOWAS, founded in 1975. President Bio has framed the Summit as an opportunity to re-energize the bloc’s founding commitment to shared prosperity through stronger regional markets, increased intra-African trade, and coordinated industrial policy.
This year’s theme, “Powering Regional Integration through Energy Trade, Strategic Minerals, Agribusiness and Digital Transformation,” targets four priority sectors considered critical to unlocking West Africa’s competitiveness. Organizers say the focus will be on moving from declarations to delivery — developing investment frameworks, sectoral reports, and a pipeline of bankable regional projects.
Dr. Kandeh K. Yumkella, Special Envoy for the Summit and a key architect of its framework, said WAIIS is designed to catalyze public-private partnerships and identify priority investments capable of driving industrialization, expanding energy access, strengthening food systems, and boosting digital connectivity across member states.
Elumelu, a long-time advocate for entrepreneurship and private-sector led development in Africa, commended President Bio’s leadership and the Summit’s emphasis on practical outcomes. His backing is expected to raise the Summit’s profile among investors and development partners, underscoring the role of African capital in advancing regional integration.
With preparations now accelerating, WAIIS is shaping up to be one of West Africa’s most ambitious investment convenings, seeking to align political will, private capital, and development priorities behind a common agenda for a more integrated and competitive region.
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