Former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo on Monday urged African nations to embrace unity, trade integration and self-reliance, saying “Africa’s future must be built by us, for us, with us.”
Speaking at the Intra-African Trade Fair, Obasanjo, chair of the IATF Advisory Council, said the continent’s transformation depends on “knowledge of the world, knowledge of ourselves, knowledge of what is wrong with us and we put them right.”
He called on governments, businesses and youth to “stop relying on systems not designed for Africa’s progress” and instead build African-led frameworks such as the African Continental Free Trade Area.
Obasanjo criticized exploitative global trade and financial structures, from the International Monetary Fund to commodity pricing, and urged African countries to trade more with each other, adopt local currency payment systems and invest in regional infrastructure, including coastal shipping.
The IATF 2025 is being held Sept. 4–10, bringing together policymakers, business leaders and investors to promote industrialization and growth under the AfCFTA.
