The senator faulted what she described as a growing tendency among ECOWAS countries to seek strategic alliances outside the region at the expense of internal collaboration.
By Deborah Hassan
365Daily – Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan (Kogi Central) has warned that the success of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) within West Africa depends largely on how well ECOWAS member states collaborate internally, cautioning that growing reliance on external partnerships could weaken regional integration.
She spoke in Abuja on Tuesday at the ECOWAS First Extraordinary Session and the 2026 Parliamentary Seminar, where lawmakers and stakeholders converged to deliberate on strategies for expanding intra-community trade.
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,” focused on removing trade barriers, strengthening industrial linkages, and boosting cross-border investments.
Akpoti-Uduaghan said meaningful integration must be built on shared research, industrial cooperation, market linkages, and joint 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, the senator faulted what she described as a growing tendency among ECOWAS countries to seek strategic alliances outside the region at the expense of internal collaboration.
“In my own perspective, I believe that West Africans lack cohesive collaboration amongst ourselves. How much research and innovation have we conducted among ourselves? How much technology developed in our countries have we willingly shared?” she asked.
She warned that weak cooperation could erode trust and limit the growth of regional trade under AfCFTA.
“If we fail in this foundation, how can we trust our products to be willingly patronised across the region?” she added.
Referencing recent vaccine development cooperation between Ghana and Germany, Akpoti-Uduaghan questioned why similar partnerships were not being prioritised within West Africa.
“It is good to collaborate globally. But wouldn’t it be better if Ghana’s Ministry of Health partnered with Nigeria’s Ministry of Health on such innovations? We need to think deeply about this,” she said.
While supporting global partnerships, the senator stressed that intra-regional cooperation should come first.
“We share heritage, challenges and history. Shouldn’t we first focus on health, agriculture, science and technology, and our vast industries among ourselves?” she said.
She called for stronger inter-university partnerships, open research systems, and innovation hubs that allow easy access to shared knowledge across the region.
“Let us not hoard research outputs. Let us create open platforms where our universities, technology hubs and innovation centres can interact and share ideas,” she urged.
Akpoti-Uduaghan also tasked parliamentarians to push for deeper collaboration among ministries across ECOWAS countries to strengthen transparency and trust.
Turning to emerging opportunities, she highlighted the blue economy, noting that coordinated regional investments in maritime and water-based industries could significantly boost trade volumes.
“The World Bank is emphasising the blue economy. Wouldn’t it be beneficial for West African countries to jointly develop these opportunities? This could jump-start trade within ECOWAS,” she said.