The 2023 Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, highlighted several key factors contributing to insecurity in Africa during a Leadership Dialogue in Athens, Greece, over the weekend.
Speaking at the event, which focused on governance, particularly in the areas of democracy, security, and the economy, Mr Obi stressed the need for leaders to recognise the profound global and generational shifts currently underway.
In a statement shared on his X (formerly Twitter) page on Sunday, the former Governor of Anambra State expressed concern that, despite Africa’s abundant human and material resources, major gaps persist in global governance.
He stressed the urgency of addressing these challenges by prioritizing collective security, tackling poverty, and reducing injustice and inequality across societies.
The statement partly read: “At the weekend, I joined global leaders that included, former Presidents, Prime ministers, serving and retired senior government officials, military chiefs, renowned academics, sports personalities, and others in Athens, Greece, for a Leadership Dialogue focused on governance, particularly in the areas of Democracy, Security and the Economy in today’s world. The focus was on the lessons for future leaders.
“In my brief presentation, I listed some of the variables responsible for the insecurity in Africa and I emphasized that as leaders, we must acknowledge the profound global and generational transformations confronting us. Despite vast human and material resources, there remain significant unmet needs in global governance. Urgent attention must be paid to enhancing collective security, lifting people out of poverty, and reducing injustice and inequality in society.”
The 63-year-old noted that African countries are grappling with severe insecurity, rampant corruption, escalating poverty, soaring youth unemployment, and stark inequality.
He pointed out that more than 50 per cent of the world’s multidimensionally poor reside in Sub-Saharan Africa, with Nigeria and the Democratic Republic of Congo each having over 60 per cent of their populations living in poverty and enduring unacceptable levels of inequality.
Furthermore, he stated that non-state actors have increasingly assumed control over security in several African nations, while many countries on the continent significantly underinvest in essential areas of development, including health and education.
“Future African leaders must take bold, accelerated, just, and transformative actions to achieve far-reaching, people-centred development. African leaders must confront insecurity head-on and reassure citizens of the state’s ability to maintain security without being undermined by non-state actors.
“Corruption must be tackled with vigour. Leaders must invest in critical areas of development to improve health and education while addressing poverty, unemployment, hunger, and other pressing societal challenges. Nigeria has all the resources needed to move in this direction, and we remain committed to placing the nation on the right path”, the statement added.
