Dangote Named First Chairman of ECOWAS Business Council
The Economic Community of West African States has confirmed the appointment of Aliko Dangote, Chairman of the Dangote Group, as the inaugural head of the newly constituted ECOWAS Business Council (EBC).
The announcement was made by ECOWAS President Omar Touray during the 95th Ordinary Session of the ECOWAS Council of Ministers held on Wednesday in Abuja. PulseNets learnt that the council unanimously endorsed Dangote following internal consultations across member states.
Designed as an autonomous platform, the EBC is expected to energise the regional private sector, strengthen sub-regional trade, attract sustainable investment, and accelerate economic integration across West Africa. Officials described it as a long-needed mechanism to bridge the persistent disconnect between policymakers and the business community.
Touray explained that Dangote’s selection stemmed from his unmatched business footprint across West Africa and his contributions to continental industrial growth. According to him, the bloc has already begun witnessing stronger interest in intra-regional investment, signalling what he called “a new phase in ECOWAS economic cooperation.”
He referenced multiple investment and economic forums held this year—including Forum Senegal Invest, the West African Economic Summit in Nigeria, and the ‘Invest in District Savanes’ forum in Côte d’Ivoire—as evidence of rising momentum.
In his words, “This appetite for intra-regional investment underscores the need to mobilise capital within our region to build our community, rather than wait for precarious foreign investments.”
Touray added that with the scale of investments from West African private sector giants such as Dangote, the region has the capacity to drive its own development if governments provide the right policies and incentives. “I am confident that our private sector actors can lead the way in developing our Community when given the opportunity,” he told PulseNets.
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Through the EBC, ECOWAS intends to convene leading private-sector figures to deliberate on regional economic integration, identify barriers to trade, and shape a unified West African business voice. The council is also positioned to strengthen collaborations among investors, ECOWAS institutions, and government agencies to advance the bloc’s long-term development goals.
