Aliko Dangote has been unveiled as the inaugural chairman of the ECOWAS Business Council (EBC), a new regional body set up to position the private sector at the centre of West Africa’s economic agenda.
His appointment was announced during the 95th Ordinary Session of the ECOWAS Council of Ministers in Abuja, where ECOWAS Commission President Dr. Omar Alieu Touray outlined the council’s mandate.
The EBC, described by the Commission as an independent, high-level advisory platform, is designed to energise private-sector participation, unlock cross-border investments, and strengthen trade flows across the 15-nation bloc.
ECOWAS officials said the council forms part of a broader strategy to accelerate economic integration and build a more sustainable regional market.
Dr. Touray noted that Dangote’s extensive influence in African industry made him a natural fit for the role, adding that the council will tap into his experience to mobilise domestic capital and deepen business collaboration within the sub-region.
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The bloc expects the EBC to help shift West Africa’s development model toward stronger internal financing and reduced dependence on external funding.
With its formal launch, the council becomes the main interface between private businesses, national governments, and ECOWAS institutions.
It will support policy harmonisation, promote investment-friendly reforms, and push initiatives aimed at improving the region’s competitiveness and ease of doing business.