Nigeria has dispatched a high-level envoy to The Gambia ahead of the upcoming West Africa Economic Summit (WAES), set to take place on June 20–21 in Abuja.

Her Excellency Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, Nigeria’s Minister of State and Special Envoy of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, arrived in Banjul this week to deliver a formal invitation to President Adama Barrow.

The diplomatic mission is part of a broader regional engagement strategy led by Nigeria under President Tinubu’s chairmanship of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).

The West Africa Economic Summit, a flagship initiative of Tinubu’s ECOWAS leadership, is expected to bring together heads of state, policymakers, and business leaders to advance a shared agenda on regional integration, trade, and investment.

Odumegwu-Ojukwu’s visit underscores Nigeria’s efforts to build consensus and momentum ahead of the summit, which is being billed as a critical turning point for economic cooperation across the subregion.