By: Precious Miracle Kargbo Snr
His Excellency President Julius Maada Bio has secured significant private sector support for the upcoming West Africa Integration and Investment Summit (WAIIS) following high-level engagements with two of Africa’s most influential business leaders, Aliko Dangote and Tony O. Elumelu.
The meetings form part of President Bio’s efforts to strengthen partnerships with the private sector and position WAIIS as a premier platform for investment, regional integration, and economic transformation across West Africa.
During his meeting with Aliko Dangote, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of the Dangote Group, President Bio welcomed the business leader’s support for the summit, describing it as a major boost to the region’s economic integration agenda. He also commended Dangote’s appointment to lead the newly established ECOWAS Business Council, noting that his leadership will play a vital role in advancing regional economic cooperation.
“Aliko’s leadership of the new ECOWAS Business Council represents a significant milestone. I look forward to working with him and the Council to position WAIIS as a leading, sustainable, and private sector-driven platform,” President Bio stated.
In a separate engagement, President Bio held productive discussions with Tony O. Elumelu, Chairman of UBA Group, Heirs Holdings, and Transcorp. During the meeting, Elumelu pledged his support for WAIIS, which is scheduled to take place in Sierra Leone later this year.
The President expressed appreciation for Elumelu’s commitment to the summit and acknowledged his longstanding contributions to entrepreneurship and economic development across Africa.
“Thank you, Tony, for your impactful entrepreneurship and philanthropy across Africa,” President Bio said.
The support of both Dangote and Elumelu reflects growing confidence in WAIIS as a strategic platform for promoting investment, trade, and economic collaboration within the region. With Dangote leading the ECOWAS Business Council and Elumelu championing entrepreneurship through his various initiatives, the summit is increasingly viewed as a business-led forum focused on delivering practical investment opportunities and sustainable economic outcomes.
President Bio noted that the engagements are consistent with his government’s vision of attracting private investment, creating employment opportunities, and accelerating intra-African trade under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
He reaffirmed Sierra Leone’s commitment to providing an enabling environment for investors and emphasized that WAIIS will focus on generating tangible projects, strategic partnerships, and investment opportunities that benefit young people and businesses across West Africa.
With the endorsement of two of Africa’s most respected business icons, expectations are growing that WAIIS will move beyond dialogue and serve as a catalyst for transformative investments capable of reshaping the economic landscape of West Africa.