Peter Obi, presidential candidate of the Nigerian Democratic Party (NDC), has called on European leaders to rethink Africa’s place in global development, arguing that the continent’s future is closely tied to Europe’s prosperity and stability.
Speaking during an engagement with European stakeholders, Obi said Africa remains the world’s last frontier for global development but continues to struggle with poverty despite its vast human and natural resources.
According to him, many countries in Europe and the Western world have a limited understanding of Africa, resulting in policies and decisions that often overlook the continent.
“I found out that the European Union and most countries of Europe and the Western world actually have little knowledge about Nigeria and Africa in general,” he said.
“And because of it, in their decision and their thinking, they rarely bring Africa into perspective. I say to them, it is time to rethink.”
THE HUGE POTENTIAL OF AFRICA
The former Anambra governor described Africa as the second-largest continent by population and landmass, with abundant natural resources, vast uncultivated land, and a predominantly youthful population.
“Africa today is the last frontier of global development,” he said.
“It is a continent with young population. Sixty percent of African population today is young. But it again is a continent of mass poverty.”
Obi argued that Europe’s fortunes are increasingly linked to Africa’s development, noting that the continent’s success would create economic opportunities for Europe while its failure would have far-reaching consequences.
“The nearest continent to Africa, to Nigeria, is Europe,” he said.
“So if Africa today turns around, the biggest beneficiary would be Europe. If it collapses, the consequence will affect you more.”
The NDC presidential candidate identified poor leadership as Africa’s biggest challenge, saying the continent requires leaders with competence, character, commitment and compassion to tackle corruption, strengthen institutions and invest in human capital.
“The problem of Africa remains leadership,” he said.
“To have a political leadership that is competent, that has the capacity, compassion, commitment, and character to be able to deal with the issues of corruption, law and order, focus on investing in critical areas of development, which is health, education, and pulling people out of poverty.”
Obi also linked Nigeria’s insecurity to widespread poverty and poor access to education, arguing that these conditions create a pool of recruits for criminal groups.
“When you have over 100 million people living in multidimensional poverty and millions of out-of-school children, you have room for easy recruitment for all sorts of criminality,” he said.
NIGERIA’S TRANSFORMATION IS CRITICAL TO AFRICA’S
The former governor said transforming Nigeria is critical to the development of the African continent because of the country’s size and influence.
“To turn around Africa, you must turn around Nigeria,” he said.
“Because it is the country that will drive the rest of Africa. To develop Africa, which will benefit you, you must start from Nigeria.”
