Kogi State Targeted as West Africa’s Trade Hub

Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Sola Enikanolaiye, highlighted Kogi State's potential to become a key trade and industrial center in West Africa. During a workshop in Lokoja, he emphasized the importance of leveraging the ECOWAS Trade Liberalisation Scheme (ETLS) for regional economic integration.

Enikanolaiye noted that Nigeria has registered around 3,500 companies and 20,000 products under the ETLS, though these numbers fall short of the country's overall capacity. He pointed out that other ECOWAS member states have achieved higher performance in this area.

The minister identified Kogi's rich agricultural resources, such as livestock, mangoes, millet, maize, sugar, groundnuts, and cashew, as opportunities for creating competitive, value-added products for export. He also stressed that enhanced trade among African nations would foster economic growth and regional stability.