At the 2025 West Africa Economic Summit in Abuja, Dr. Tayo Aduloju, Chief Executive of the Nigerian Economic Summit Group (NESG), delivered a compelling call to action, urging West African nations to scale up exports, bridge critical infrastructure gaps, and harmonise trade protocols to unlock the region’s full economic potential. Highlighting how it remains easier to trade outside Africa than within, he stressed the urgency of regional collaboration, policy alignment, and investment in Special Economic Zones and trade corridors as foundations for industrialisation and export diversification. He also underscored the importance of human capital development, arguing that Nigeria’s youthful population can only be a global asset if equipped with the necessary digital and technical skills..