Jani Ibrahim Elected FEWACCI President, Bringing Industrial and Chamber Experience to Regional Role
Engr. Jani Ibrahim, the National President of the Nigerian Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (NACCIMA), has been elected President of the Federation of West African Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FEWACCI). NACCIMA announced his election on Tuesday, giving the Nigerian industrialist a regional leadership role alongside his responsibilities at home.
FEWACCI brings together national chambers to represent business interests across West Africa. Its work includes engagement with the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) on trade and regional integration. In July 2024, the federation and the ECOWAS Commission organised training for private sector leaders on the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), covering trade in goods and services, customs procedures, investment and digital trade.
Ibrahim’s route to the FEWACCI presidency began in engineering and industry. According to his NACCIMA profile, he attended King’s College, Lagos, and won a British Petroleum scholarship to study mechanical engineering in the United Kingdom, graduating with first-class honours. His career began at Unipetrol Nigeria Plc. He later became managing director of Stallion Properties, which the profile describes as a joint venture with the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation.
He went on to found and chair Lubcon Group, a lubricant manufacturing business with operations in Nigeria, Ghana and Ethiopia. NACCIMA describes Lubcon as the first indigenous lubricant blending company in Nigeria to obtain ISO certification. That experience of building an industrial enterprise across national borders is particularly relevant to a federation whose members seek to make regional commerce more workable for businesses.
Ibrahim also rose through the chamber movement over many years. He served as President of the Kwara Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture and of the Coalition of Northern States Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture. Before becoming NACCIMA President, he was its First Deputy President and chaired its AfCFTA committee, where his stated interest included the participation of small and medium enterprises in continental trade. He was inaugurated as NACCIMA’s 23rd National President in Ilorin in June 2025.
Beyond commerce, Ibrahim is a former president of the Alumni Association of the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies. He is a fellow of the Nigerian Society of Engineers and the Nigerian Academy of Engineering, and a recipient of the Officer of the Order of the Niger honour. He also received an honorary doctorate from Al-Hikmah University in recognition of his work in engineering, education and public service.
His recent activities point to the regional focus he brings to FEWACCI. At the Benin–Nigeria Business Forum in Abuja in January, Ibrahim reaffirmed NACCIMA’s commitment to investment partnerships between the neighbouring countries. In May, he represented FEWACCI’s then-president at a chamber event in Lomé that examined how digitalisation and national chambers could help businesses use the AfCFTA.
The test of his FEWACCI leadership will be whether the federation can help its member chambers turn regional agreements into practical opportunities for firms. Easier border procedures, reliable market information, stronger business links and greater participation by smaller enterprises are all central to that task. Ibrahim’s background in manufacturing and chamber advocacy gives him direct experience of the issues, while his election gives him a platform to pursue them across West Africa.
