Nigeria and the Republic of Benin have signed a new agreement to strengthen their partnership and show that real cooperation is possible in West Africa.
The agreement was signed on Saturday at the first West Africa Economic Summit held in Abuja.
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu of Nigeria and President Patrice Talon of Benin both attended the event. Nigerian officials Dr. Jumoke Oduwole and Ambassador Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu signed the agreement for Nigeria, while Minister Shadiya Assouman and Minister Shegun Bakari signed for Benin.
President Talon said the agreement is a big step toward real teamwork between the two countries. He said both countries now need to act quickly and seriously.“President Tinubu and I have agreed that Benin and Nigeria will fully join together.
It is now the job of our ministers to make it happen,” Talon said. “Benin and Nigeria are more than brothers we are one family. Let us show West Africa that working together is possible.
Talon also said ECOWAS (the group of West African countries) is not doing well and needs urgent change. He gave examples of projects that failed, like the West African Gas Pipeline, which has faced many problems and delays.“It’s embarrassing,” he said. “We are wasting money and time. We are not working together as we should.”, Talon said Benin now buys gas from Qatar, using a special ship that stores and turns gas into usable form.
He also said that the West African Power Pool, which was meant to improve electricity in the region, is not working as expected.“We spent a lot of money, but it is still not helping us much,” .
Talon talked about the road between Lagos and Abidjan. He said border delays and police harassment are making it hard for traders to move goods across countries.“The road is ready, but traders still suffer” We must stop this.
Talon warned that poverty is the biggest threat to peace and democracy in the region. “If we don’t reduce poverty, everything else we do will be useless,”He also said Africa should learn to protect its own interests, like other countries do.
He mentioned former U.S. President Donald Trump as an example of a leader who protected his country’s economy.“If other countries look after themselves, so should we.
At the summit, the Presidents of Liberia and Sierra Leone also gave speeches.Liberia’s President Joseph Boakai said his country supports ECOWAS and wants to remove trade barriers and improve cooperation between countries. He praised President Tinubu for organizing the summit.“This summit is very important. It gives us a chance to plan and work together,” Boakai said.Sierra Leone’s President Julius Maada Bio also spoke.
He said West Africa has a lot of potential, but countries must work together to succeed. He said problems like debt, climate change, and hunger make cooperation more important than ever.
“We must join hands and support each other,” Bio said.He also encouraged full use of ECOWAS trade programs, which help countries do business more easily with each other and these programs help reduce taxes and make trade smoother.
