President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio, has led a renewed push for deeper West African integration, urging coordinated regional action as Nigeria and Côte d’Ivoire strengthened bilateral and multilateral ties at the 152nd Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) in Istanbul, Turkey.

Akpabio, according to a statement by his Media Office on Sunday, made the call during a high-level meeting with the Speaker of the Ivorian National Assembly, Patrick Jérôme Achi, where both leaders stressed the urgency of forging a united regional bloc to withstand growing global fragmentation and economic pressures.

Declaring Côte d’Ivoire a historic partner, Akpabio warned that failure to integrate could expose the region to new forms of neocolonialism.

He maintained that only a united West Africa could maximise trade, political cooperation, and cultural exchange.

The two leaders aligned on the need to strengthen the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and prioritise the reintegration of Sahel countries, describing regional cohesion as critical to economic survival and political stability.

At the centre of their discussions was the Abidjan–Accra–Lagos Coastal Highway, a flagship infrastructure project expected to transform mobility and trade across the subregion.

The corridor, linking major economic hubs and over 300 million people, will cut travel time between Lagos and Abidjan from three days to about eight hours upon completion.

Designed as a modern dual carriage superhighway, the project will operate under a supranational legal framework and eliminate bottlenecks through harmonised cross-border regulations.

Five ECOWAS member states have already enacted enabling laws to support seamless movement along the corridor.

Describing the initiative as a game-changer, Akpabio said “the highway would serve as a major economic artery for West Africa, commending President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for backing the project.”

In his remarks, Achi shifted focus to economic strategy, insisting that sustainable growth must be driven by the private sector, with governments providing policy direction and legislative support.

He called for reforms to unlock investment, expand markets, and tackle unemployment, particularly among the region’s growing youth population.

He identified peace, education, and economic opportunity as essential pillars for development, cautioning that Africa risks stagnation if these fundamentals are neglected.

Both leaders acknowledged structural barriers to integration, including language divides, weak infrastructure, fragmented markets, and brain drain.

They urged African countries to better harness their human and natural resources, noting the continent remains underutilised despite its vast wealth.

On security, they advocated technology-driven border management, enhanced intelligence-sharing, and coordinated regional surveillance systems to safeguard open-border arrangements.

They also raised concerns over emerging threats such as digital and economic recolonisation, calling for proactive investments in technology and innovation to protect Africa’s future.

The meeting, according to the statement, ended with a firm commitment to deepen parliamentary collaboration, align legislative frameworks, and strengthen oversight of regional initiatives.

Akpabio and Achi, the statement added, described Nigeria and Côte d’Ivoire as central to West Africa’s transformation, expressing confidence that coordinated leadership between both countries could unlock unprecedented regional growth. (This Day)

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