West Africa Must Collaborate Internally To Unlock AfCFTA Gains, Says Natasha Akpoti

West Africa must collaborate internally to unlock AfCFTA gains, says Natasha Akpoti. Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, senator representing Kogi central, has called for deeper collaboration among member states of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) to strengthen regional integration and expand intra-community trade.

The senator spoke in Abuja as regional lawmakers and stakeholders gathered for the ECOWAS’ first extraordinary session and the first 2026 parliamentary seminar.

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 unlocking economic opportunities under the AfCFTA framework.

Akpoti-Uduaghan said meaningful regional integration must be anchored on shared research, industrial integration, market linkages, and 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.

She expressed concern over the region’s growing tendency to pursue partnerships outside the West Africa region while neglecting joint initiatives within member states.

“In my own perspective, I believe that West Africans lack cohesive collaboration amongst ourselves,” she said.

“And it’s very simple. Let’s ask how much research and innovation have been conducted amongst ourselves? How much technology developed in our countries have we willingly shared amongst ourselves?”

The lawmaker warned that without a strong foundation of internal cooperation, trade ambitions under AfCFTA could face trust deficits.

“If we have failed in this foundation, then how can we trust the products that we have produced in our countries to be willingly patronised amongst ourselves?” she asked.

Citing a publication on collaboration between Ghana and Germany on vaccine development, Akpoti-Uduaghan questioned why similar partnerships were not prioritised within West Africa.

“I saw a publication regarding collaboration between Ghana and Germany on vaccine development,” she said.

“It is a good deed, but wouldn’t it be better if Ghana’s ministry of health partnered with Nigeria’s ministry of health on such innovations? I think we need to look deeply into that.”

While acknowledging the importance of global partnerships, the lawmaker said intra-regional cooperation should take precedence.

“It is okay if we promote innovations with America, with the United Kingdom, and with France,” she said.

“But primarily, as a region, we should not neglect ourselves because we share heritage; we share problems.

“Our DNA is not far from one another. Would it not be better to focus on health, agriculture, science, and technology, and all the vast industries among ourselves first?”

Akpoti-Uduaghan advocated open research systems, inter-university partnerships, and improved access to innovation across the region.

“Let us foster relationships between our universities. Let us not hoard the products of our research,” she said.

“Let us have open research platforms, our technology hubs, and innovation hubs responding and relating better.

“As an individual, I should be able to log into a portal in Mali, Gambia, and Liberia and find out what innovations have been promoted.”

Senator Natasha

She urged parliamentarians to facilitate stronger communication between ministries across ECOWAS states to encourage transparency and trust.

“As parliamentarians, let us task our ministries to reach out to their counterparts across the region and trust that they will openly share the products of their research. That is the foundation we must not neglect,” she said.

The senator also highlighted emerging opportunities in the blue economy, referencing discussions by the World Bank on maritime and water-based economic development.

“In recent times, we have seen the World Bank emphasise the blue economy in relation to our waters,” she added.

“Wouldn’t it be good for West African countries and companies to jointly develop and maximise these opportunities? This would greatly jump-start trade volumes for the benefit of ECOWAS states.”

African Continental Free Trade Area (AFCFTA)
Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS)
Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan