By Anthony Kamara.
With four weeks to go, WAIIS 2026 announces the first Heads of State and Government and business leaders who will speak at the inaugural West Africa Integration and Investment Summit, which takes place on 16–18 November 2026 at the Julius Maada Bio International Conference Centre (JMBICC) in Lungi, Port Loko District.
Registration is open; with limited places available, delegates are encouraged to secure their place now.
Registration is open. Secure your place at www.waiis.org.
Convened by H.E. President Julius Maada Bio of Sierra Leone under an ECOWAS Authority mandate, WAIIS brings political leaders, investors, buyers and project sponsors together to move from declarations to transactions across four growth pillars: Energy Abundance and Green Industrialisation; Strategic Minerals and Natural Resource Development; Agribusiness and Food Systems Transformation; and Digital Transformation and Connectivity.
Heads of State and Government confirmed to speak
The political line-up reflects the weight of the mandate behind the Summit:
- E. Brigadier (Rtd.) Julius Maada Bio, President of the Republic of Sierra Leone
- E. William Samoei Ruto, President of Kenya
- E. John Dramani Mahama, President of the Republic of Ghana
- E. Faure Gnassingbé, President of the Council of Ministers, Togolese Republic
- E. Mia Amor Mottley, Prime Minister, Minister of Economic Affairs and Development and Minister of National Security, Barbados
- E. General (Rtd.) Birame Diop, President of the ECOWAS Commission
Business, finance and industry leaders
They will be joined by the following private-sector and institutional leaders, listed alphabetically by surname:
- Folorunso Alakija, Chairman and CEO, FA Oil Limited
- Abdulhamid Alkhalifa, President, OPEC Fund for International Development
- Alhaji Dr. Mohamed Babatunde Cole, Executive Chairman, LeoneOil / Sierra Rutile Holding
- Alhaji Aliko Dangote, Founder, Group President and Chief Executive, Dangote Group
- Samuel Dossou-Aworet, Founding Chairman, Petrolin Group
- Alain Ebobissé, Chief Executive Officer, Africa50
- George Elombi, President and Chairman of the Board of Directors, African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank)
- Tony Onyemaechi Elumelu, Chairman, Heirs Holdings
- Chris Ezeafulukwe, CEO, Transcorp Energy
- Andrew Herscowitz, CEO, Mission 300 Accelerator, RF Catalytic Capital
- Obong Idiong, CEO, Heirs Technologies Limited
- Lacina Koné, Director General and CEO, Smart Africa
- Damilola Ogunbiyi, CEO and Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General, Sustainable Energy for All
- Benedict Okey Oramah, Chairman, Africa Trading Minerals (ATMIN)
- Abdul Samad Rabiu, Founder and Executive Chairman, BUA Group
- Habib Yérim Sow, Group Chairman and CEO, Teyliom Group
- Wale Tinubu, Group Chief Executive, Oando PLC
- Samaila Zubairu, President and CEO, Africa Finance Corporation (AFC)
Further speakers will be announced in the coming days.
Secure your place
Around 1,000 high-level participants are expected in Lungi and Freetown, including Heads of State and Government, leading African and international CEOs, investors and development finance institutions.