Benoni Urey named Liberia's seat on ECOWAS Business Council
The advisory body, chaired by Aliko Dangote, is meant to give the private sector a direct line to West Africa's presidents.
Benoni W. Urey, a Liberian businessman and founding shareholder of the mobile network Lonestar Cell MTN, has been named Liberia's representative on the ECOWAS Business Council. The council is a new advisory body chaired by Nigerian industrialist Aliko Dangote, Africa's richest man.
Ministers created the council on paper in 2021, but its launch slipped from December 2024 to September 2025. Dangote was named its first chairman by the bloc's foreign ministers in Abuja in December 2025, and West African heads of state later endorsed him.
Liberia trades heavily with Sierra Leone, Guinea and Côte d'Ivoire and imports almost all of its fuel. Whether the seat delivers cheaper fuel, easier border crossings and a bigger market for Liberian goods will depend on how hard its representative fights for a small country in the room.
Why it mattersLiberian businesses and fuel buyers depend on the council's decisions for cheaper fuel, easier border crossings and a bigger market for Liberian goods.