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WATRA Moves to Secure W’Africa’s $216bn Digital Economy for Growth
Emma Okonji
In a bid to position West Africa’s $216bn Digital Economy for Growth, the West Africa Telecommunications Regulators Assembly (WATRA) has reaffirmed its commitment to advancing a secure, inclusive, and resilient digital ecosystem in West Africa.
The regional regulators reaffirmed this during its 4th Working Groups Meeting in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso—at a time when the region’s digital economy is expanding rapidly and reshaping growth prospects.
The meeting, hosted by the Autorité de Régulation des Communications Électroniques et des Postes du Burkina Faso (ARCEP), brought together regulators, technical experts, and stakeholders from across the region, themed: ‘Building a Secure, Inclusive, and Resilient Digital Ecosystem for West Africa’.
The ECOWAS region, comprising over 400 million people, has a combined GDP estimated at approximately $700–800 billion in nominal terms, with Nigeria accounting for more than two-thirds of economic output. This makes West Africa one of the most economically significant regions on the African continent.
According to industry and multilateral estimates, the digital economy contributes between four per cent and sic per cent of GDP across many African markets, with mobile technologies alone accounting for roughly four to five per cent of GDP in West Africa, and rising steadily as connectivity improves.
In his remarks during the meeting, the Executive Secretary of WATRA, Mr. Aliyu Yusuf Aboki, described the meeting as a significant milestone in the organisation’s evolution, marking the transition from dialogue to the delivery of practical regulatory tools.
As Executive Secretary of WATRA, he leads the organisation’s strategic engagement with regional and global stakeholders, helping to shape coherent regulatory frameworks and strengthen Africa’s voice in global discussions on digital policy and telecommunications development.
