President Bola Tinubu has emphasized Africa’s potential for self-development, stating that the continent has what it takes to develop itself.
He made this statement during a meeting with Rwandan President Paul Kagame in Abu Dhabi, UAE, on the eve of the Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week
.According to Tinubu, Africa possesses the necessary resources, people, and capacity to drive its own development. He stressed the importance of improving intra-African trade and collaboration to benefit the African people and the continent.
“We have the resources, the people, and the capacity. We must look inward to improve intra-African trade and collaboration to benefit the African people and the continent.”
Tinubu also noted that the time for Africa’s development is now, saying “We can. We must. We will”
Ths statement is particularly significant, given the context of the Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week, which aims to bring together global leaders to accelerate sustainable development and advance socioeconomic progress.
Tinubu’s message emphasizes the need for Africa to look inward and leverage its own strengths to achieve development, rather than relying solely on external aid or investment.
However, some critics have raised concerns about the consistency of Tinubu’s message, given his administration’s proclivity for foreign loans.
They argue that Tinubu’s government should prioritize domestic development and self-sufficiency over external dependencies
It therefore behoves African leaders to see Tinubu’s message as not mere rhetorics and follow it up with concrete actions to achieving African self-reliance, cooperation, sustainable development and prosperity.