Yusuf Tuggar, minister of foreign affairs, has said the freedom of movement within West Africa has contributed to economic growth in the region.
Gatekeepers News reports that Tuggar highlighted the importance of collective action and partnerships in confronting global challenges while speaking at the European Union-African Union ministerial follow-up committee and the third EU-AU ministerial meeting held in Brussels, Belgium.
He said, “We see the huge opportunities in the African Continental Free Trade Area.”
“Within the Economic Community of West African States, freedom of movement has contributed to economic growth and individual opportunity and provided an alternative for young people that might otherwise consider the desperate trek north.”
Tuggar said while progress has been made in tackling complex challenges, much work remains to be done.
He said, “The checklist is real, serious, and familiar: the proliferation of small weapons; climate change; violent extremism, irregular migration; the fragility of democracy; technology, trade, and markets.”
Tuggar also expressed concern about the weakening international order, pointing to the growing influence of non-state actors and the unchecked spread of disinformation.
Despite these challenges, he reaffirmed Nigeria’s commitment to multilateralism and collaborative action.
On the topic of democratic stability, the minister noted that the crisis of democracy is not unique to Africa but a global phenomenon.
He said, “Governments have faced the challenge of matching limited capacity with increased expectation, a process that crowds out serious debate and empowers political snake oil salesmen.”
“It’s a trend we see in other parts of the world, too.”
The minister warned against allowing fears to drive policy, particularly on migration.
He further said there was a need for responsible regulation and genuine partnership in addressing global challenges.
Tuggar said, “We cannot allow our responsibilities to be diluted by our rights. The truth is not a supermarket, to be picked or discarded according to taste. There are no facts and alternative facts, only facts.”
“Our job, responsibly, is to regulate it and create a stable framework for genuine partnership, which in turn allows us to deal with those systems of fracture that, today or tomorrow, become everyone’s problems-or, as I prefer, everyone’s opportunities.”
