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| Museveni
Laments Africa's Marginalisation in World Affairs 18th
September, 2001. By
Chukwudi Nwabuko Ugandan President, Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, yesterday lamented the marginalization of Africa in global trade, saying that while world trade in agriculture was worth US$1.2 trillion, Africa's share stood at a paltry $13 billion, representing one per cent of the world total. Painting a gloomy picture of Africa vis- a-vis the industrialized nations, Museveni stated that in order for the continent to make an impact in world trade and compete effectively, there was the need for an African Union as key for the continent's development. Speaking yesterday at the inaugural lecture of Course 10 of the National War College, Abuja, Museveni, who was accompanied by the Vice President, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, who stood in for President Olusegun Obasanjo, also expressed the optimism that Nigeria would achieve greatness if she invests in the development of her human resources. He lamented that Africa lagged behind in world trade, a development he blamed on lack of investment in human resources and industrialization, adding that while world tourism was valued at US $444 billion, Africa's share was only $541 million, representing 12 per cent of world total. "Automobiles world wide are worth US$1.3 trillion, Africa's share is only $60 million; much much less than one per cent of world total. Total world trade in services is about $1.35 trillion", he said adding "the combined share of Africa, Latin America, Central Europe, the Baltic and the Middle East is about US$171 billion, about 13 per cent of world total". He stated that Africa needs to unite in order to trade adding, "The great need is to unite in order to give viable markets to our potential industrial capacity. The great need is to unite in order to defend our sovereignty. Our need is unity, not to quarrel as to whether somebody who so prefers to eat pork or yams; or whether one prays five times a day or once a day or does not pray at all". Alluding to the vexed issue of resource control in the country, Museveni, whose speech was well applauded, carpeted advocates of resource control emphasizing that while there was need to protect the environment of oil-producing areas, the long term wealth of Nigeria lay not in oil but in the human resources. "The only natural resources that are next to the human resources (people) of a country in importance are fresh water and arable land. Otherwise the people are the greatest national resource and the more you have, provided they are empowered the better". Citing the example of Japan and South Korea as countries without any natural resource, but which had invested heavily in the development of their human resources, the Ugandan President said "Japan and South Korea are countries without petroleum or minerals of any type. I think that even their agriculture is quite modest. They however have empowered (educated) populations and fresh water, adding "tiny South Korea(half of land area of Uganda) earns about $200 billion in exports per annum more than what Nigeria earns." In order to redress the imbalance, Museveni maintained that "What we actually need is to amalgamate the present 53 states of Africa into either one African Union or at least, seven or more viable states. "A
union of African states would obviously be a super power with 750 million people,
given our vast natural resources provided we address the problems of chauvinism
exhibited by some groups", he submitted. |
