Former Anambra State Governor Peter Obi says security challenges bedevilling African countries are directly linked to poverty, with over 50 per cent of the population multi-dimensionally poor.

Obi said this at an international dialogue of global leaders that includes former presidents and top government officials in Athens, the capital of Greece, on Saturday, September 28, 2024.

Obi, the Labour Party (LP) presidential candidate in Nigeria’s 2023 general election, listed unemployment, corruption, poverty, and inequality among the variables militating against security and peaceful co-existence in Africa.

He stated: “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.

“In the continent, we face high levels of insecurity, alarming corruption, worsening poverty, huge youth unemployment, and gross inequality.

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“Over 50 per cent of the world’s multidimensionally poor live in Sub-Saharan Africa. Nigeria and Congo both have over 60 per cent of their populations living in poverty and suffering from unacceptable levels of inequality.

“Non-state actors have now taken over security in some African nations.

“Furthermore, many African countries underinvest in critical areas of development, such as 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.”

Obi noted that corruption must be tackled with vigor, adding 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,” Obi stated.

The Star