Despite the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS)’s current crisis, President Patrice Talon of the Republic of Benin has demanded that West Africa’s region be further integrated.
President Talon reaffirmed that the current political and institutional difficulties facing ECOWAS should not prevent it from advancing its regional integration agenda during his speech at the West Africa Economic Summit on Saturday in Abuja.
He claimed that the summit is appropriate because our region is bringing us together for integration. ECOWAS is a prime example of regional cooperation, but sadly, it is in crisis. However, this shouldn’t prevent us from pursuing further integration.
The Alliance of Sahel States (AES), which was established earlier in the year, was formed by Mali, Burkinabe, and Nigeria, which abruptly departed from the regional bloc.
However, Talon emphasized that the stakeholder’s collective will and leadership accountability are key factors in achieving meaningful integration.
Our biggest obstacle is not our inability to realize our ideas, but rather our inability to do so. Leaders are tasked with turning ideas into reality, he said, from ministers to ministers and government bodies.
Read more about ECOWAS’s obligation to keep its door open to Niger, Mali, Burkinabe, and Boakai, the country’s regional leaders.
Bola Tinubu, the president of Nigeria and the head of ECOWAS, was commended by the Beninese leader for his efforts to bring regional unity to the attention of the region.
He argued, however, that more extensive regional and international support is required to support these efforts.
Talon also cited language barriers, border delays, and underperforming infrastructure as major obstacles to regional trade and integration.
It takes more than a day to get to Abidjan, despite significant investments, checkpoints, and border harassment on the Lagos-Abidjan road. He lamented that a businessperson could accomplish that in a short amount of time.
He warned that poverty will continue to prevent the region’s development unless these issues are addressed.
Source: Channels TV
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