Nigeria urges intra‑continental investment, cooperation in Africa

Abdullateef Fowewe

President Bola Tinubu has told the Africa CEO Forum Presidential Panel in Kigali that African countries must prioritise one another to build scale, spur trade and harness the continent’s youthful innovation.

Tinubu said this in a statement shared via his X handle on Friday.

Speaking at the forum, Tinubu said, “Our continent cannot build scale by looking outward first. We must invest in one another, trade more with one another, build the corridors that connect our markets, ensure our innovative youthful population get the support they need, and give African businesses the confidence to expand across African borders.”

He described Nigeria’s reform programme as forward‑looking, emphasising that the measures “are not only about fixing yesterday.
They are about preparing our economy to lead in the Africa of tomorrow.”

Tinubu listed priorities for regional integration, including AfCFTA implementation, digital trade, shared infrastructure, stronger logistics, a commodities exchange and deeper private‑sector partnerships.

Tinubu also called for changes to global financial systems to better accommodate African realities, saying the “global risk and financial architecture must also give Africa a fair deal that recognises our local nuances and contexts.”

Expressing gratitude to Rwanda’s leadership, he thanked President Paul Kagame “for his warm hospitality and for Rwanda’s continued leadership in showing what discipline, clarity and execution can do for development.”

He added that “Nigeria will continue to work with Rwanda and other African partners to build a continent that produces more, trades more, connects better, and competes with greater confidence in the world.”

Closing his remarks, Tinubu warned that Africa’s future would not be handed to the continent stressing, “We must build it, own it, and defend it together.”