Africa needs economic freedom to thrive – Obasanjo

Former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo urged African nations to unite their resources to forge stronger economic ties across the continent.

This call to action aligns with the traditional concept of Pan-Africanism, which emphasises the importance of pooling resources to achieve economic empowerment for the greater good.

Obasanjo made this appeal on Tuesday, at the commemoration of Angola’s National Founder and Hero’s Day in Lagos.

The event honoured the legacy of Angola’s first President, Agostinho Neto, who declared the country’s independence on November 11, 1975. Neto, who served as president from 1975 to 1979, played a significant role in shaping Pan-Africanism.

The event, themed “Pan-Africanism in the Political Course by Agostinho Neto,” was organized by the Embassy of Angola in Nigeria.

Speaking at the event, Obasanjo highlighted various Pan-African struggles, stressing the need for collective action to achieve economic progress and unity across the continent.

“One of the things we tend to do as humans is forget the past and our leaders who made sacrifices for what we are enjoying today.

“We have achieved political and cultural pan-Africanism to an extent but now we have to focus on the economic liberation of Africa.

“I want to talk about the economic aspect which seems like we have yet to pay enough attention to until now when our leaders started to introduce African Continental Free Trade Agreements.

“Our pan-africanism must be strong. When we were formulating the charter for a new African Union from Organisation of African Unity, we dwelt more on economic ties,” he said.

“One of the things we have been doing is struggling for the economic emancipation of Africa but we have not done this too well.

“We should ask ourselves, why did we have slave trade? It is because some nations want energy to develop their new world and make money.

“The slave trade was substituted with colonialism and then exploitation to develop other continents. We got others, but they are still withholding economic power.

“Economic pan-africanisim is what I believe we should now pay attention to which will lead to the economic liberation of Africa,” he emphasised.