By: Precious Miracle Kargbo Snr
President Julius Maada Bio has hosted a special luncheon at State House for Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) of mining companies as part of ongoing preparations for the upcoming West Africa Integration and Investment Summit (WAIIS) 2026.
The engagement focused on the summit’s theme: “The West Africa Integration and Investment Summit (WAIIS) 2026: Powering Regional Integration through Critical Minerals Partnership.”
According to a statement, the meeting was highly engaging and interactive, with discussions centred on the strategic role of critical minerals in promoting regional integration, attracting investment, and strengthening economic cooperation across West Africa.
The luncheon forms part of a series of stakeholder engagements ahead of WAIIS 2026, which aims to position West Africa to benefit from the increasing global demand for minerals that are essential to the energy transition and industrial development.
The West Africa Integration and Investment Summit is a regional platform designed to promote trade, investment, and cooperation among ECOWAS member states. The 2026 edition will place a special focus on critical minerals as a catalyst for regional integration, value addition, and sustainable economic growth.
Critical minerals such as lithium, cobalt, graphite, and other resources used in battery production and renewable energy technologies have become increasingly important in global economic and climate discussions. West Africa is known to possess significant deposits of several of these valuable resources.
WAIIS 2026 is expected to convene government representatives, mining companies, investors, and development partners to explore opportunities for collaboration that will strengthen regional supply chains and ensure that mineral resources contribute to job creation, infrastructure development, and long-term economic benefits.
The summit will also seek to encourage the alignment of national mining policies with regional integration objectives while promoting responsible and sustainable investment in the mining sector.
Preparations for the summit are ongoing, with further engagements planned among key stakeholders ahead of the event.