Long run of our youths lies in Nigeria, now not Europe – AfDB boss

The President of African Development Bank, Dr. Akinwumi Adesina, on Wednesday, said the future of the Nigerian youths does not lie in any country but in Nigeria.

He said this in Lagos while speaking at the 2023 Obafemi Awolowo Prize for Leadership in Lagos.

Adesina was awarded the 2023 Obafemi Awolowo Prize for Leadership Award.

Former heads of state, state governors, royal fathers and other distinguished Nigerians.graced the event.

Past winners of the prestigious award are Nobel Laureate, Wole Soyinka; former South African President, Thabo Mbeki; and lawyer, Aare Afe Babalola.

Adesina added that Nigerians must make the country a viable place for people to stay and not a place to run away from.

“I refuse to believe that the future of Nigeria’s and Africa’s youths lie in Europe, North America, Asia, or anywhere else. I believe that their future must lie in Africa, growing well, robustly, able to create quality jobs and decent earnings for our young people.

“There is absolutely no reason in the world how we have a demographic asset that then becomes a global negative externality. Let’s take pride in ourselves and let’s make our demographic asset our economic asset globally. I firmly believe that their future lies right here in Nigeria,” he said.

The former Minister of Agriculture from 2011 to 2015 decried the migration to other countries by Nigerians, especially youths, as it does not develop sustainability.

“While one might argue that our growing diaspora is good as they send back billions of dollars, higher than the oil revenue that we have, this is not the way to develop sustainably.

“Nations that develop do all they can to keep their best human capital at home and additional resource skills elsewhere, with flexible immigration and labour policies,” he said.

He said AfDB unveiled a $614m programme to support Nigeria’s digital and creative enterprise to create 6.3 million jobs and add N6.4bn to the economy.

“I always say to myself, how can we have 477 million people under the age of 35 and there are no financial institution? That means we have missing institution and market failure problems and that is why the African Development Bank decided that we will create what we call Youths Entrepreneurship Investment Bank,” Adesina added.

Speaking about the event, former Head of State, Gen. Yakubu Gowon (retd.), described Adesina as a brilliant man, who “represents the best of Nigeria.”

“The choice of Dr Akinwumi Adesina can only be described as having been very well done. He represents the best of Nigeria, hardworking, diligent, brilliant, forward-looking, and deeply patriotic,” Gowon stated.