President Bola Tinubu on Wednesday said without peace, progress will be impossible for development in Africa.

The President also said that peace, stability, and democracy are the keys to Africa’s progress and development.

Speaking at a dinner organized in his honour by President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo of Equatorial Guinea, Tinubu said Africa must take charge of solving its own problems, rejecting external expectations of conflict and instability.

Before the dinner, the Nigerian President and his host had sat for talks and signed agreements in various areas, including petroleum, security, among others. 

He urged African leaders to prioritize peace, stability, and progress, saying “the time is now” to take action.

He highlighted the brain drain and talent loss Africa faces due to poverty, archaic judicial systems, and tribalism, emphasizing that these issues must be addressed to foster development.

President Tinubu also appealed to international organizations to invest more in African research and development. 

According to him, “We have to work together to make peace the focus of our development in order to really develop. Without peace, you cannot develop. 

“Our problem is not that we don’t know what to do; we identify them and understand what to do; our problem is how and when we should do them, and I say the time is now.

“We better roll our sleeves, put on our nickers and move for peace, stability and progress

“Why are we complaining about healthcare problems if our doctors cannot have a home in their continent, if our nurses are faced with destitution, if our judicial system is archaic, if tribe is the hero in the middle of nothing?

“Tribalism has no place in Africa, we have to take the continent and take it strongly and… it together, help one another, develop our resources for our progress, find solutions among ourselves, dwell on research and development, reward those research and development programmes, bring out the results, don’t sell it out. 

“To the international organizations, we say thank you; we are partners; we’ll continue to partner, but put more than half of the results of research and development here in the continent, we have a lot of youths to cater for, millions of them yearning for progress,” he said.

The President also highlighted the need for collective action to address conflicts in regions such as the Congo Republic and the Sahel.

“Our gathering here today is a significant milestone in the history of Africa, and particularly West Africa, between Federal Republic of Nigeria and the Republic of Equatorial Guinea. 

“I am very happy to have listened to the very deep thinking coming from my brother, the President of Equatorial Guinea, on Africa. 

“Yes, it is Africa that must solve its own problems. They want Africa wretched and raggedy, full of conflicts, antagonism of one another, but we’re saying no. Peace, stability and democracy are the way forward for progressive development, and we agreed on that. 

“We definitely will continue to promote peace and stability throughout the continent. 

“Some others of our brothers in shackles are still there at each other’s throats. We must work together and do everything possible to promote peace between them. 

“What we are seeing in the middle of the region, Congo Republic and other areas of the Sahel is not pleasant for our today and promising for our tomorrow,” he said. 

In his remarks earlier, President Mbasogo expressed his gratitude to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for accepting his invitation to visit Equatorial Guinea, hailing the strong relations between the two nations.

The host president reiterated his satisfaction with the growing cooperation between Nigeria and Equatorial Guinea, citing areas such as education, mining, hydrocarbons, trade, defense, agriculture, and investment.

He praised Nigeria’s extensive experience in agriculture, trade, tourism, and economic development and expressed his desire for a mutually beneficial exchange of experiences between the two countries.

The Equatorial Guinea leader also emphasized the need for African solidarity, calling for stronger regional and international cooperation to address challenges such as maritime crime, security threats, and economic diversification.

President Mbasogo stressed the importance of strengthening constitutional institutions, fighting against injustices, and advocating for greater African representation on the global stage, particularly on the UN Security Council.

VANGUARD