President Muhammadu Buhari on Thursday in New Delhi, India, declared
that Nigeria and other African countries must work harder to achieve
greater political stability and security before they could enjoy the full
benefits of partnership arrangements such as the India-Africa Forum.
A statement by the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media
and Publicity, Mr. Garba Shehu, said the president made the declaration
while addressing the plenary session of the third summit of the forum.
Buhari said to attract the massive investment in-flows which Africa
needed to overcome the challenges of unemployment and wealth
creation, Nigeria and other African countries must also establish policy
environments that guarantee the sanctity of contracts on the basis of
the rule of law.
The president told the gathering that since its inception in May this
year, his administration had been working with determination to establish
these preconditions for rapid socio-economic development and re-focus
governance on the real needs of ordinary Nigerians.
He said: “As a government, we have demonstrated our strong
determination to change the direction and content of governance,
including the management of our resources through accountability,
transparency and result-orientation in governance.
“We are confident that India, as a tested friend and dependable
partner, will always stand shoulder to shoulder with us in the discharge
of the mandate entrusted to us by our people.”
The president expressed the hope that the India-Africa Forum would
deepen, in practical terms, the South-South Cooperation that countries
of the South had desired for so long.
“The current international economic and political environment is far from
being favourable, particularly for developing countries. Fresh political
conflicts have erupted, accentuated by terrorism and extremism in the
most awful forms.
“Trans-border crimes, illegal arms trade, irregular migration and
cybercrimes have all added to the new global threats that demand our
collective action.
“Furthermore, the world is facing the challenge of Climate Change in
which Africa remains badly affected with severe threats to food
security and social stability.
“From the West to the East, North to South, virtually every country in
our respective regions is faced with unacceptable levels of poverty,
unemployment and a youth bulge.
“India and Africa must develop a new spirit of solidarity, cooperation and
partnership to confront these emerging threats. We must recognise that,
in this globalised age, we all live interconnected lives in a fragile planet.
We must therefore work together to uplift the lives of our people in a
manner that preserves the sustainability of our living environment.
“These challenges call for a renewed sense of urgency among African
countries for economic development. It is an open secret that Africa
possesses all the prerequisites to become a major growth region of the
world.
“There is therefore the need for India and Africa to strive together to
build a virile framework for partnership and cooperation in order to
address common challenges in key areas including health, education,
interconnectivity, power and employment generation as well as the
strengthening of institutions of governance and democracy,” Buhari told
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and African Heads of State and
Government.
The president said that although African countries had a number of
partnership arrangements with other countries of the world, the India-
Africa Forum promised to be different because, “it is not only a
partnership between friends, but between countries and peoples who
have had similar historical experiences of colonial rule”, he added.
He noted that the immense potential of the forum was already evident
in the growing volume and improved terms of trade between Africa and
India as well as the increasing presence of several Indian enterprises in
Africa.
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