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ECOWAS Commission President Omar Touray projects Nigeria will rank among the world’s top five economies by 2100.
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Touray praised Nigeria’s role in stabilising West Africa, including deployment of ECOWAS forces to Guinea-Bissau to prevent conflict and protect democratic order.
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Launch of the ECOWAS National Biometric Identity Card (ENBIC) hailed as a major step toward secure mobility, regional integration, and enhanced border management.
President of the ECOWAS Commission, Dr. Omar Alieu Touray, says Nigeria is on course to become one of the world’s top five economies by the year 2100, citing the country’s ongoing economic reforms and renewed leadership role in the West African region under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
Touray made the projection in Abuja on Friday during the official launch of the ECOWAS National Biometric Identity Card (ENBIC) by the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), where he was represented by an official of the commission.
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He commended Nigeria for once again taking up a stabilising role in the region despite its domestic security challenges, noting that ECOWAS forces have been deployed to Guinea-Bissau to prevent political escalation and maintain order.
“Despite the security challenges Nigeria is facing and the loss of lives to terrorism, we continue to see commitment and the willingness to secure the West African region,” he said.
Touray said ECOWAS troops stationed in Guinea-Bissau were engaging stakeholders to avert a slide into civil conflict, describing their presence as crucial to protecting the country’s future.
He hailed Nigeria’s resilience, describing the country as an inspiration to other member states.
“Even in this period of crisis, Nigeria’s leadership strengthens the bond among us. In a world of economic transition, where security challenges are high, Nigeria continues to drive regional integration,” he added.
The ECOWAS chief also applauded the Tinubu administration for modernising Nigeria’s identity-management system through the rollout of ENBIC, which he said will facilitate legal movement, boost tourism, attract investment and enhance trade across West Africa.
He said the unified biometric ID card represents a decisive step against trans-border crime, irregular migration and document fraud, while deepening regional integration.
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“For us, this card is more than an identity document. It is a symbol of unity, progress, and shared responsibility for the future of West Africa,” Touray said.
He further thanked the European Union and other international partners for supporting the ENBIC programme.
Dimanche Sharon, Chief of Mission of the International Organisation for Migration (IOM), also described the initiative as a “strategic step toward secure mobility” that will greatly improve identity verification and migration management across the sub-region.
Nigeria becomes the seventh ECOWAS member state to operationalise the biometric identity card, a project conceived 11 years ago but revived under what officials described as President Tinubu’s renewed leadership and insistence on results.
