Peter Obi, the presidential candidate of the Labour Party, joined other prominent African voices at The Convention titled ‘Igniting The Voices of Africa’ organized by the New Africa Foundation in Accra, Ghana.
The event, which aimed to spark an African conversation fostering hope among the continent’s youth, was abruptly canceled despite the presence of a massive crowd from all corners of Ghana and Africa.
Peter Obi, along with distinguished speakers such as Prof P. L. O Lumumba from Kenya and Dr. Arikana from Zimbabwe, expressed their commitment to addressing the critical issue hindering Africa’s progress – leadership failure.
The trio, who were already in Ghana for the event, granted a press interview to shed light on the convention’s purpose and the urgent need for a shift in leadership across the continent.
According to a statement by Peter Obi on his X handle, “However, the three out of the four main speakers who were in Ghana already for the event; Prof Lumumba, Dr Arikana, and my humble self, granted a press interview to expatiate on the purpose of the Convention, which was mainly to start an African conversation that will give African youths hope.
“Africa as the second largest and second most populous continent in the world, with a population of over 1.4 billion people, is home to a youthful, and dynamic workforce with the largest concentration of working age population of about 1.1 billion people, which when combined with the abundance of huge natural resources ranging from minerals to over 874 million hectares of arable land for for agricultural revolution, positions Africa as a key player in the global economy, Obi said.
Obi stated that “Unfortunately, Africa’s growth and development will continue to appear as an impossible dream if we do not deal with the only challenge facing Africa – leadership failure.
“To paraphrase Late Prof Achebe’s ageless words on Nigeria, ‘the trouble with Africa is simply and squarely leadership problem,’ caused mainly by the unwillingness of African leaders to rise to their leadership responsibilities.
“This is a point I’ve heard Prof. Lumumba make continuously. Governments in most African nations have become gigantic criminal enterprises where the citizens, especially our youths who have the talent and energy, to lead the world in technology, health, and other areas, have watched their leaders shamelessly convert public wealth that should be used for a greater Africa, turned into private pockets.
“This criminal style of leadership tradition must be dismantled in order to guarantee the youths a future.
“A brighter future for Africa is possible, Peter Obi concluded.