Former President Goodluck Jonathan has warned that Africa risks being left behind in the global technological revolution unless governments urgently invest in specialised universities, innovation and human capital development.
Jonathan gave the warning in Abuja while delivering a lecture, titled “Harnessing Industrial Capacity for Inclusive Growth and Regional Stability in Africa,” to participants of the National Defence College Course 34.
He expressed concern over the poor performance of African universities in global rankings, noting that no university on the continent featured among the world’s top 100, while only the University of Cape Town made the top 200.
Describing the situation as “terribly bad,” the former president said African countries needed specialised institutions capable of producing highly skilled manpower in science, technology, engineering and information technology.
Jonathan said countries such as Singapore and India had demonstrated how deliberate investment in education and specialised institutions could support economic transformation.
He warned that Africa’s vast natural resources would remain largely underutilised if the continent lacked the technological capacity to transform them into high-value products and services.
The former president therefore urged African leaders to prioritise young people, innovation and human capital development to position the continent for sustainable growth.
Also speaking, Minister of Defence, Gen. Christopher Musa (rtd.), called for stronger institutions and greater investment in infrastructure, technology and human capital.
Musa said economic development and security were interconnected, stressing that sustainable development would remain difficult in an environment of insecurity.
He urged African countries to maximise the opportunities provided by the African Continental Free Trade Area to accelerate industrialisation, innovation and shared prosperity.