WAIIS-2026: Minister of Planning and Development Meets ECOWAS Special Envoy to Prepare West African Summit on Integration and Investment

On Monday, March 30, 2026, the Minister of Planning and Development, Dr. Souleymane Diarrassouba, held a meeting with a delegation led by Dr. Kandeh Yumkella, former Director-General of the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) and Special Envoy of the Chairman of the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government, H.E. Julius Maada Bio, President of Sierra Leone.

At the initiative of the current ECOWAS Chair, a high-level mission has been dispatched to member states with a clear objective: to refocus the organization’s agenda on its original mission of economic and trade integration.

In this context, ECOWAS is preparing the West African Integration and Investment Summit (WAIIS-2026), scheduled to take place between late October and early November 2026. The summit will be held under the theme: “Strengthening regional integration through trade in energy, strategic minerals, agribusiness, and digital transformation,” in collaboration with key partners including the African Development Bank (AfDB), the International Development Research Centre (IDRC), UNIDO, the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), and the Sustainable Energy for All (SEforALL) initiative.

Dr. Yumkella outlined the four strategic pillars that will structure the summit. The first focuses on energy trade and industrial growth, aiming to expand cross-border interconnection infrastructure among member states. The second pillar addresses strategic minerals and natural resource development, with a strong emphasis on local processing of resources such as bauxite and titanium, moving away from raw exports. The third pillar targets agribusiness and food systems transformation, with goals including rice self-sufficiency and local fertilizer production. The fourth pillar centers on digital transformation and connectivity, seen as a cross-cutting driver for youth employment and the efficiency of the other sectors.

A preparatory ministerial conference is scheduled for April 29–30, 2026, in Freetown, Sierra Leone, to validate priority investment portfolios.

“The West African Integration and Investment Summit represents a major opportunity for Côte d’Ivoire. Its four pillars energy, strategic minerals, agribusiness, and digital transformation—are closely aligned with the strategic priorities of the National Development Plan 2026–2030. This coherence is what we intend to leverage to support regional development,” stated Dr. Souleymane Diarrassouba.

The WAIIS-2026 Summit will serve as a key regional platform for Côte d’Ivoire to showcase and advance the ambitions of its National Development Plan 2026–2030.