Sierra Leone’s President Julius Maada Bio and Nigerian business leader Tony Elumelu have called on West Africa’s private sector to help turn the region’s vast economic potential into investment, competitive industries and jobs for young people.
The call came during a high-level engagement in Lagos focused on mobilising private capital and advancing investment-ready projects ahead of the inaugural West Africa Integration and Investment Summit (WAIIS), scheduled for the 16th to the 18th of November, 2026 in Freetown. The meeting brought together President Bio, Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, Elumelu and other business leaders, including representatives of Dangote.
President Bio set out an ambitious vision for WAIIS to consolidate a regional market of more than 400 million people and mobilise businesses from within West Africa and across the world to deepen trade, investment and economic cooperation. He argued that the region’s advantages must be converted into productive enterprises, competitive industries, regional value chains, jobs and wealth.
Bio’s message reflects a broader push to position the private sector as a strategic partner in building a prosperous and integrated West Africa. By removing barriers to trade and investment and strengthening infrastructure and governance, the region aims to create the conditions for businesses to scale across borders.
The WAIIS agenda is built around four interconnected pillars: energy trade and industrialisation, strategic minerals, agribusiness and food systems transformation, and digital transformation and connectivity. These sectors are seen as having the potential to reshape West Africa’s economic future and create jobs for young people.
By focusing on these areas, the summit aims to translate regional policy priorities into measurable, business-led investments. The approach is designed to ensure that discussions lead to concrete commitments and follow-up actions rather than remaining at the level of broad policy frameworks.
Tony Elumelu, founder of the Tony Elumelu Foundation and promoter of Africapitalism, welcomed President Bio’s initiative to place private capital and enterprise at the heart of the regional agenda. He reaffirmed his commitment to mobilising African and international investment alongside leading African financial institutions, including the Africa Finance Corporation, Afreximbank, United Bank for Africa (UBA) and Ecobank, to support the execution of priority projects.
Elumelu stressed that Africa’s businesses must increasingly look beyond national borders and combine capital, expertise and capabilities to build enterprises and industries capable of competing at scale. Stronger regional cooperation, he argued, would help create jobs for young people and provide greater opportunities for prosperity across the sub-region.
The Lagos engagement marks an important step in building momentum for WAIIS, which is positioned as a deal-focused Heads of State Summit aimed at securing concrete investment commitments. By bringing together governments, development partners, investors and the private sector, the summit seeks to create a shared agenda for regional growth and prosperity.
For West African businesses and investors, the message is clear: the region’s future depends on turning potential into productive investment. If the momentum from these engagements translates into concrete deals and follow-up actions, WAIIS could become a turning point in West Africa’s drive for economic integration and job creation.
Africa Presents is a Pan-African digital magazine and monthly publication covering politics, business, economy, culture, tech, and the stories shaping Africa and its diaspora. Visit africapresents.com and follow @AfricaPresents for daily coverage and monthly themed magazine editions.
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