On the sidelines of the West African Economic Summit (WAES), Nigeria and the Republic of Benin signed an agreement on June 22, to deepen bilateral integration and serve as a model for broader regional cooperation within ECOWAS. The signing ceremony was witnessed by Nigerian president, Bola Tinubu, and president of the Republic of Benin, Patrice Talon.
Nigeria’s Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Dr. Jumoke Oduwole and Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, signed the agreement, alongside Benin’s Minister of Industry and Trade, Shadiya Alimatou Assouman, and Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, Shegun Adjadi Bakari.
Talon declared that the move signified a bold step towards real, actionable regional integration. “President Tinubu and I have agreed on full integration between Benin and Nigeria. The responsibility now lies with our ministers to implement it. Benin and Nigeria are more than twins. We are the same people. Let us show the region that integration is possible,” he said.
Talon had earlier called for urgent reforms to rescue West Africa’s stalled regional integration, describing the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) as “in crisis.”
“ECOWAS is a perfect example of regional integration. Unfortunately, our ECOWAS is in crisis right now,” he said, citing the West African Gas Pipeline, which was designed to enhance regional energy cooperation, as an example of failure due to administrative bottlenecks:
“It is ridiculous. This failure of regional cooperation wastes resources and undermines integration,” he said. As a result of these delays, Talon said Benin has had to source gas from Qatar via a floating storage and regasification unit (FSRU).
Speaking on the West African Power Pool, another regional initiative, he said, “We invested heavily in this infrastructure. But it is not functioning as expected. Unless we act decisively, I’m not confident it ever will.”
President Talon also addressed logistical obstacles along the Lagos–Abidjan Corridor, which unnecessary border checks and harassment have hampered.
“The road exists. But a businessman should be able to travel from Lagos to Abidjan in hours, not days, without facing harassment at multiple checkpoints. That is not integration,” the president protested.
He warned that poverty remains the region’s most dangerous destabilising force, calling it the “main threat to democracy, security, and stability,” and insisting that if nothing is done about it, “our values will remain hollow.”
Referencing changing global trade dynamics, Talon cited U.S. president, Donald Trump’s protectionist policies as a signal for African states to prioritise their interests.
“The trade war should remind us that nations act in their interest, and so should we. At some point, we may even have to thank President Trump for that reminder.”
Talon urged West African leaders to move from talk to action. “If we cannot create wealth and opportunity, all our other values, democracy, liberty, cannot be sustained. Integration must be real. Integration must be delivered,” he said.
