Africa has no excuse to stay poor, says Peter Obi, opposition leader and the Nigeria Democratic Congress sole presidential candidate for 2027.
Speaking at the Spier Dialogue Event on “Policies for Growth in Africa” in Cape Town over the weekend, Obi told an international audience that the continent’s natural and human resources should rule out poverty.
He shared the remarks on X after a morning meeting with South African ministers.
“Africa is endowed with vast natural and human resources,” he said.
He continued: “Africa possesses significant mineral reserves, more than 60% of the world’s uncultivated arable land, and boasts the youngest population globally. These attributes should be viewed as valuable assets for economic progress, not liabilities.”
Obi argued that weak leadership, corruption, fragile institutions, and high governance costs are holding the continent back.
He called for Africa to shift focus from political distractions and endless elections to productivity, development, and nation-building.
The path forward, he said, is aggressive investment in Human Development Index indicators—education, healthcare, and poverty reduction. Many African countries still grapple with low life expectancy, high infant mortality, unemployment, and rising poverty, while SMEs struggle under bad infrastructure and inconsistent policies.
“What Africa requires is capable leadership that exhibits capacity, empathy, and a commitment to prioritize production over consumption, and development over political maneuvering,” Obi said.
He added that investing in people, strengthening institutions, cutting governance costs, fighting corruption, and creating a business-friendly environment would make Africa more productive, secure, democratic, and prosperous.
Obi concluded that “A New Africa is Possible,” a position reiterated in a statement e-signed by Ibrahim Umar, POMR Spokesperson, on 24 May 2026.
