Yusuf Maitama Tuggar, Nigeria’s foreign affairs minister, said the recent decision by the United States to include all ECOWAS countries in its visa restrictions (Togo on an earlier list) is a great barrier to progress as the region has opportunities to do deals.
The minister said the region is ready to do business with the US, but the government needs to create a conducive atmosphere for it to happen.
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“We in this part of the world are students of the ‘Art of the Deal’ and have been part of the international trading system even before the modern state system. ECOWAS countries and the US have a rare opportunity to create a partnership based on principles of need.
“We are also a strategic alternative to more distant and politically divergent energy producers. So, we will do deals for our prosperity. The only question is with whom?” He wondered who takes up the opportunities in the region by allowing government officials, technocrats, business executives, and entrepreneurs to travel freely back and forth to close deals.”
Tugar spoke at the 54th Ordinary Session of the Mediation and Security Council at the Ministerial level meeting in Abuja, on Wednesday, June 18, 2025.
The minister affirmed that the Regional Partnership for Democracy (RPD) initiative launched in May, in conjunction with the United Nations Development Programme, would help to address the challenges of democratic governance in West Africa and ensure its success.
He said the RPD is a template that should be collectively owned and applied within the West African region based on the particularities of member states’ polities.
According to him, the humanitarian challenges facing the region, ranging from forced displacement, food insecurity, as well as climate-related vulnerabilities to health and protection concerns demand not only joint attention but also coordinated action.
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Tuggar said ECOWAS benefited greatly from the foresight demonstrated in the establishment of the Inter-Governmental Action Plan Group Against Money Laundering in West Africa (GIABA) some decades ago, noting that illicit financial flows, money laundering and terrorism financing continue to threaten the region’s collective security.
The minister asserted that member states must reaffirm their commitment to enhance financial transparency and resilience.
