By Okechukwu Jombo
The President of the Nigerian Senate, Godswill Akpabio has urged the Parliamentarians of the West African regional block ECOWAS to renew their pledge to build a united West Africa.
Akpabio made the call in his Keynote address titled: “One Region, One Dream: Advancing the Promise of West Africa,” which he delivered at the opening of the 2025 First Session of the ECOWAS Parliament which held in Abuja on Tuesday.
Akpabio who is Chairman of Nigeria’s National Assembly told the regional lawmakers to seize the opportunity of their gathering in Abuja “to renew our pledge to build a united West Africa where our economies thrive, our cultures flourish, and our children inherit a legacy of peace, prosperity, and unshakable unity.
“ECOWAS was never meant to be a concept it was meant to be a clarion call to every West African – that our journey to greatness has just begun, and together, we can write a new chapter in the history of our beloved region.
“As we gather here in Abuja, the beating heart of our great region, we must remind ourselves of the foundational vision of ECOWAS – a vision of a united, economically robust, and politically stable West Africa.
“It was this dream that inspired our founding fathers to create a community where the barriers of borders would dissolve into corridors of collaboration, where our economic strength would fuel prosperity for all, and where our political unity would stand as a bulwark against external interference.
“Today, as we face the challenges and opportunities of a rapidly changing world, this vision remains as critical as ever. Yet, we must also confront the hard truths of our present reality.
“For despite the undeniable strides we have made, significant challenges persist – challenges that demand our immediate attention and decisive action.
“One such challenge is the quest for economic stability in our region. The strength of any economic community lies in its ability to foster trade, attract investment, and create prosperity for its people.
“However, currency volatility, inflation, economic disparities, and the pressures of global financial markets continue to hinder the full realization of our collective potential.
“The promise of a unified regional currency, a cornerstone of our economic ambitions, holds great potential for simplifying trade, reducing transaction costs, and enhancing the global competitiveness of our businesses.
“Yet, we must be clear-eyed about the path to achieving this – it demands fiscal discipline, monetary coordination, robust financial infrastructure, and mutual economic trust.
“We must be bold in our economic reforms, willing to break free from outdated, fragmented approaches and embrace a truly integrated financial system that reflects the realities of our interconnected economies.
“Moreover, we must strengthen our intra-regional trade and prioritize industrialization, for without this, a common currency alone will not solve our economic challenges”, he added.
