Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan has called for deeper collaboration among member states of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) as regional lawmakers and stakeholders converge in Abuja for the ECOWAS First Extraordinary Session and the First 2026 Parliamentary Seminar.
The seminar, themed “Deepening Regional Integration through the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA): Opportunities and Challenges for Expanding Intra-Community Trade within the ECOWAS Region,” focuses on strengthening trade ties and unlocking economic opportunities under the African Continental Free Trade Area framework.
Addressing participants, the Distinguished Senator representing Kogi Central stressed that meaningful regional integration must be built on shared research, industrial integration, market linkages, and product development.
“In areas of industrial integration, research, market linkages and product development, it will enhance and expand trade and commerce within the West African region,” she said.
However, Senator Natasha expressed concern over what she described as the region’s growing tendency to pursue partnerships outside West Africa while neglecting joint initiatives within ECOWAS member nations.
“In my own perspective, I believe that West Africans lack cohesive collaboration amongst ourselves. And it’s very simple. Let’s ask how much research and innovation have been conducted amongst ourselves? How much technology developed in our countries have we willingly shared amongst ourselves?” she queried.
She warned that without building a strong foundation of internal cooperation, regional trade ambitions under the AfCFTA framework could face significant trust deficits.
“If we have failed in this foundation, then how can we trust the products that we have produced in our countries to be willingly patronized amongst ourselves?” she asked.
Referencing a recent publication on collaboration between Ghana and Germany on vaccine development, the senator questioned why similar partnerships were not being prioritized within the West African bloc.
“I saw a publication regarding collaboration between Ghana and Germany on vaccine development. It is a good deed, but wouldn’t it be better if Ghana’s Ministry of Health partnered with Nigeria’s Ministry of Health on such innovations? I think we need to look deeply into that,” she said, referring to Nigeria.
While acknowledging the importance of global partnerships, she emphasized that intra-regional cooperation should take precedence.
“It is okay if we promote innovations with America, with the United Kingdom, with France. But primarily, as a region, we should not neglect ourselves because we share heritage, we share problems. Our DNA is not far from one another. Would it not be better to focus on health, agriculture, science and technology, and all the vast industries among ourselves first?” she stated.
Senator Natasha also advocated for open research systems, inter-university partnerships, and improved access to innovation across the region.
“Let us foster relationships between our universities. Let us not hoard the products of our research. Let us have open research platforms, our technology hubs and innovation hubs responding and relating better. As an individual, I should be able to log into a portal in Mali, Gambia, and Liberia and find out what innovations have been promoted,” she said.
She urged parliamentarians to facilitate stronger communication between ministries across ECOWAS states to encourage transparency and trust.
“As parliamentarians, let us task our ministries to reach out to their counterparts across the region and trust that they will openly share the products of their research. That is the foundation we must not neglect,” she added.
Turning to emerging economic opportunities, the senator highlighted the global focus on the blue economy and referenced discussions by the World Bank on maritime and water-based economic development.
“In recent times, we have seen the World Bank emphasize the blue economy in relation to our waters. Wouldn’t it be good for West African countries and companies to jointly develop and maximize these opportunities? This would greatly jump-start trade volumes for the benefit of ECOWAS states,” she said.
Her remarks were widely received as a strong call for introspection and renewed commitment to regional solidarity, as leaders continue deliberations on expanding intra-community trade and strengthening economic integration across West Africa.
