Delivering his guest speech at the Spier Dialogue Event on “Policies for Growth in Africa”, former Governor of Anambra State, Peter Obi, reiterated, “Africa has no reason to remain poor”.
The speech was delivered on Saturday following a meeting with South African Ministers.
Obi said, Africa is “enormously” endowed with both natural and human resources, adding, the Continent possesses massive mineral reserves, holds more than “60%” of the virgin arable land in the world, and, its population is the youngest across the Planet.
Via X, Obi said: “Our continent is blessed with enormous natural and human resources. Africa holds huge mineral reserves, possesses over 60% of the world’s uncultivated arable land, and has the youngest population globally. These are not liabilities; they are strategic assets for economic transformation.”
Unfortunately, Africa remains far behind even in the midst of plenty advantages as a result of “poor leadership and corruption”.
The Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) member said, Africa must “look ahead” and progress decisively. And move its focus from “politics to productivity”; he added, there is the need for aggressive investment in Human Development Index (HDI) indicators, particularly education, because Africa’s future lies in it.
Obi said: “Yet, despite these enormous advantages, Africa continues to lag due to poor leadership, corruption, weak institutions, and the high cost of governance.
“Africa must now look ahead and move forward with decisive action. We must shift our focus from politics and endless election cycles to productivity, development, and nation-building. The future of Africa lies in investing aggressively in Human Development Index (HDI) indicators, especially education, healthcare, and lifting people out of poverty.”
The Labour Party (LP) 2023 Presidential candidate said, the Continent needs “competent leadership with the capacity” that will place “production over consumption”.
Obi said: “Small and medium-scale businesses, which should be the engine of growth, are collapsing under harsh economic conditions, poor infrastructure, and policy inconsistency.
“What Africa needs is competent leadership with the capacity, compassion, and commitment to prioritise production over consumption, and development over politics.”
Photo: Peter Obi speaks at the Spier Dialogue Event in Cape Town, South Africa
