President Bola Tinubu has called for strategic and deliberate efforts to address the exodus of skills and talent from Africa, urging African leaders to take decisive action. Speaking at a dinner held in his honor at the People’s Palace in Malabo, Equatorial Guinea, on Wednesday night, Tinubu emphasized the importance of fostering research and development by offering appropriate incentives.
“Tribalism has no place in our nation or region,” Tinubu asserted, urging African leaders to work together to strengthen the continent, cultivate peace, and support one another. “We must develop our resources for progress, find solutions among ourselves, and focus on research and development. It is crucial to reward research efforts and bring out the results ourselves. We must not outsource or sell them out.”
Addressing international partnerships, Tinubu stated, “To international organizations, we are partners and will continue to collaborate, but we must implement more than half of the research results here. We have millions of youths yearning for progress.”
During the visit, Tinubu expressed his gratitude to President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo for the invitation to visit Malabo, describing it as a homecoming. “We are one family on the continent, like twins joined at the hips. We have nowhere to go but to support each other,” he remarked.
Reflecting on the significance of the gathering, Tinubu noted, “Our gathering here marks a significant milestone in Africa’s history, particularly for West and Central Africa, and between the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the Republic of Equatorial Guinea. I am happy to hear profound thoughts from my brother, the President of Equatorial Guinea, concerning Africa.”
Tinubu stressed the importance of peace and stability for Africa’s collective development. “Africa must solve its own problems. To the world, Africa appears wretched, ragged, and full of conflicts, but we say no. Peace, stability, and democracy are the way forward for our collective and progressive development. President Mbasogo and I have agreed on this,” he said.
He also called for action in promoting peace across the continent, particularly in the troubled regions of the Sahel. “What we are witnessing in certain parts of the continent, particularly in the Sahel, is concerning for both our present and our future. We must work together to make peace the focus of our development,”
Tinubu urged. “Without peace, there can be no development. Our problem is not that we don’t know what to do; we know and have identified the challenges. The issue is how and when we will act. I say the time is now. We must roll up our sleeves, put on our work clothes, and move decisively toward peace and stability on our continent,” he added.
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President Mbasogo of Equatorial Guinea, in his earlier remarks, expressed his gratitude to Tinubu for accepting the invitation to visit Malabo. “With utmost affection and respect, I greet President Tinubu and extend a warm welcome to him and his delegation to Equatorial Guinea,” Mbasogo said.
He emphasized the importance of strengthening the momentum in bilateral relations, particularly in areas such as education, mining, defense, security, and agriculture.
“We recognize Nigeria’s potential and experience as Africa’s largest economy since 2015, and we view it as one of the great emerging global markets,” Mbasogo stated. He called for a deeper partnership between both countries to combat piracy and insecurity, while also collaborating with other African Union countries and the United Nations to address global challenges like climate change, food shortages, and terrorism. “This visit presents an opportunity to further strengthen our historical relationship,” he concluded.
This statement reflects the reality faced by many African youth and professionals today. Skilled workers from sectors such as healthcare, tech sector, and others are increasingly migrating to countries like the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, and various parts of Europe in pursuit of better opportunities, hence the need for a wake up call.
