Akinwunmi Adesina, President of the African Development Bank (AFDB), believes that achieving a global Nigeria requires strategic efforts to unlock its economic potential.
According to him, Nigeria can become a global industrial and economic powerhouse by orchestrating an industrial revolution.
He made the statement during a public lecture on Friday to commemorate General Yakubu Gowon’s 90th birthday.
Adesina emphasises the importance of Nigeria shifting from poverty management to wealth management by providing opportunities for its citizens to thrive.
“I dream of a global Nigeria. I refuse to believe that Nigeria will falter or fail. I believe that Nigeria will overcome, rise, flourish, and shine. Nigeria must become a global powerhouse and that is our responsibility.
“A global Nigeria must start with a poverty-free Nigeria. Today, poverty is extremely perfect in Nigeria. The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) in its 2022 report estimated that 63% (133 million) of Nigerians are multi-dimensionally poor. As we speak today, 65% of the poor live in Northern Nigeria while 35% live in the South.
“A global Nigeria must also invest in education. The ability of any nation to be globally competitive is determined by its human capacity or talent pools and that is why the greatest investment Nigeria can make is in education, especially higher education.
“Nigeria must have greater ambitions for its manufacturing sector by integrating and rapidly moving up global and regional value chains in areas of comparative advantage by driving greater specialisation and competitiveness and by heavily investing in skill upgrades and human capacity development,” he noted.
