Benin President Patrice Talon said on Saturday that the west African regional bloc is in trouble, citing stalled infrastructure projects and weak trade links as reasons for reform.
He spoke at a regional economic summit of west African nations in Abuja ahead of a routine gathering of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).
"ECOWAS is a perfect example of regional integration. Unfortunately, our ECOWAS is in crisis right now," he was quoted as saying in a statement by the Nigerian presidency.
Talon singled out the 678-kilometre (420-mile) West African Gas Pipeline through Benin and Togo as a key example of regional dysfunction, blaming delays and poor coordination for its failure to deliver energy across borders.
"This failure of regional cooperation wastes resources and undermines integration," he said, adding that Benin now imports gas from Qatar to meet local demand. "It is ridiculous".
He also raised concerns over the West African Power Pool, which was designed to link national electricity grids in the region.
Despite years of investment, the project is underperforming. "Unless we act decisively, I'm not confident it ever will," Talon said.
Talon's remarks aligned with those of Nigeria's President Bola Tinubu, who said intra-regional trade in west Africa remains below 10 percent.
"This low trade is not due to a failure of will but a coordination failure," Tinubu said. "The global economy will not wait for west Africa to get its act together, and neither should we."
Talon also said that US President Donald Trump's "trade war" with the rest of the world "should be a wake-up call for all of us".
The United States is "giving us a very important lesson -- they are fighting for their own interests", he added.
Bd-Pratidin English/ARK
