President Bola Tinubu has called on world leaders to support Africa in its quest for the development of the continent.

Tinubu urged the world leaders to support Africa as true friends and partners, saying the continent is important to the world’s future.

“Walk with us as true friends and partners. Africa is not a problem to be avoided, nor is it to be pitied. Africa is nothing less than the key to the world’s future,” the president said while addressing world leaders at the 78th United Nations General Assembly in New York on Tuesday, September 19, 2023.

He declared that the time is now for UN member states to show, with their actions, that they mean what they say concerning the crackdown on terror financing, economic sabotage, and illicit mineral and arms smuggling in the developing world.

President Tinubu added: “The fourth important aspect of global trust and solidarity is to secure the continent’s mineral-rich areas from pilfering and conflict. Many such areas have become catacombs of misery and exploitation. The Democratic Republic of the Congo has suffered this for decades, despite the strong UN presence there. The world economy owes the DRC much but gives her very little.

“Foreign entities that are abetted by local criminals, who aspire to be petty warlords, have drafted thousands of our people into servitude to illegally mine gold and other resources. Billions of dollars meant to improve the nation now fuel countless violent enterprises.

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“If left unchecked, they will threaten peace and place national security at grave risk. Given the extent of this injustice and the high stakes involved, many Africans are asking whether this phenomenon is by accident or by design. Member nations must reply by working with us to deter their firms and nationals from this 21st-century pillage of the continent’s riches.

“To keep faith with the tenets of this world body and the theme of this year’s Assembly, the poverty of nations must end. The pillage of one nation’s resources by the overreach of firms and people of stronger nations must now end.”

Tinubu, according to a statement issued by his spokesman, Ajuri Ngelale, further noted that his aggressive economic development diplomatic push for new investment has been demonstrably effective in presenting Nigeria as business-ready, but the ease of doing business, according to the president, might not be the major encumbrance to large scale investment.

He said: “The question is not whether Nigeria is open for business. The question is how much of the world is truly open to doing business with Nigeria and Africa in an equal, mutually beneficial manner.

“Direct investment in critical industries, opening their ports to a wider range and larger quantity of quality African exports, and meaningful debt relief are important aspects of the cooperation we desire.”

President Tinubu equally noted that the global fight against the effects of climate change cannot be based on a “one size fits all” approach, adding that nations must be cooperated with in the design and implementation of their own strategies, which are tailored to their respective socio-economic strengths and weaknesses.

The Star