Former President John Dramani Mahama says part of the problem for not having more rich African businesses is that governments turn to target businesses created by their political opponents.
Mahama said this in a discussion during the 2nd edition of the Afro-heritage Conference and Awards in Lagos, Nigeria, on Sunday, April 13, 2024.
“We must not be afraid for our business people to succeed, we must not be afraid to have rich Africans,” the flagbearer of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) said.
“Governments must not come and think that because some other governments created this business, then we must kill it. That’s part of the problem that we have. We must believe in ourselves, in adversity comes opportunities,” he added.
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John Mahama also admonished African leaders to take advantage of the several opportunities in the continent to make it self-reliant.
“I think we must be more self-reliant as a continent, there are many opportunities that we can take advantage of. I was looking at a figure that we will give in our budget statements which is Gross Domestic Product (GDP),” he said.
He added that “The question we must ask ourselves is, what percentage of that GDP is indigenous? What percentage of that GDP is African? when we mark that percentage which is called the Gross National Product, not Gross Domestic Product, we will be able to see how well our people are doing and what the progress is.”
Mr Mahama also made a case for African leaders to seriously invest in young people to make innovations that will affect the ordinary citizens on the continent.
Former President John Mahama, on Saturday, April 13, received the African Advancement Award for Exemplary Leadership at the 2024 African Heritage Awards Ceremony in Lagos, Nigeria.
Organised by the Heritage Times of Nigeria, the African Heritage Awards is a platform that unites influential African innovators, entrepreneurs, and organisations, all of whom, like John Dramani Mahama, are instrumental in propelling the continent towards greatness.
The 2024 ceremony was chaired by former Botswana President Dr Seretse Khama Ian Khama.