In a decisive step towards advancing regional economic cooperation, Nigeria Minister of Foreign Affairs, Amb. Yusuf Maitama Tuggar, today convened an exclusive Private Sector Roundtable in Lagos. The high-level meeting, held at the prestigious Metropolitan Club in Victoria Island, is part of the build-up to the highly anticipated West Africa Economic Summit (WAES) 2025, scheduled for June 20–21 in Abuja.
Bringing together some of West Africa’s foremost business leaders and economic influencers, the Roundtable focused on the private sector’s pivotal role in driving sustainable growth, dismantling trade barriers, and fostering regional integration.
Amb. Tuggar emphasized the government’s firm commitment to fostering an enabling environment for businesses to thrive and contribute meaningfully to policy formulation. “WAES is not just about policy; it’s about practical solutions. Your voice will shape the outcomes,” the Minister affirmed.
Points included persistent trade bottlenecks, infrastructure deficits, and regulatory challenges hindering economic progress across the sub-region. The Minister urged private sector leaders to engage in open, solutions-driven conversations that will inform actionable strategies at WAES 2025.
This strategic dialogue signals a new era in regional collaboration, placing businesses at the core of West Africa’s economic future.
Registration for WAES 2025 is now open via www.waes2025.org.
![[12/06, 9:27 pm] rosewendy: The Governor of Anambra State, Prof. Charles Chukwuma Soludo, has called on Nigeria to remain committed to technological advancement despite the recent challenges experienced by the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) during the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME). Governor Soludo made this appeal on Thursday while speaking at The Platform Nigeria, a civic engagement programme hosted by The Covenant Nation in Lagos, as part of activities marking Nigeria’s Democracy Day. Addressing the audience, the former Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) governor emphasized that while glitches in the conduct of digital examinations are regrettable, reverting to analogue systems is not a sustainable solution for Nigeria’s progress. “Technology is upon us. We cannot afford any failure or experiment to push us back to analogue systems. The proper response is to strengthen our systems, not abandon them,” Soludo stated. His comments come in the wake of widespread criticism directed at JAMB, after the examination body announced that 379,997 candidates would have to retake their UTME following technical issues experienced during the exam. JAMB, via its official X (formerly Twitter) handle, confirmed that the disruptions affected 157 out of 887 CBT centres nationwide, sparking frustration among candidates and stakeholders. Soludo, however, maintained that embracing digital solutions with adequate preparation and rigorous system testing is the way forward. “We must embrace technology while acknowledging that no system is error-free. What matters is adequate preparation, repeated stress testing, and ensuring auxiliary services like network access are reliable. Going back to analogue isn’t the answer,” he advised. The debate around the examination setback has drawn comments from national figures. Former presidential spokesman, Laolu Akande, recently praised JAMB Registrar, Prof. Ishaq Oloyede, for taking responsibility for the hitches. “We have to be careful not to let those affected by these reforms derail the progress being made. Prof. Oloyede has openly admitted the embarrassment and accepted responsibility, which is a mark of leadership,” Akande said. As Nigeria continues its journey toward a digitally-driven education sector, Soludo’s remarks underscore the need for resilience, innovation, and preparedness in deploying technology for national development. [13/06, 9:04 am] rosewendy: Soludo Warns: Nigeria Must Not Crawl Back to Analogue Despite JAMB's Digital Disaster](https://toscadnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/InShot_20250613_090655799.jpg)