Former Nigerian president Olusegun Obasanjo and Ralph Gonsalves, Prime Minister of St Vincent and the Grenadines, have both shared their views on how Africans and Caribbeans may both build on the continents’ technical growth.
Obasanjo and Gonsalves spoke at the Bells University of Technology’s 15th Convocation Lecture in Ota, Ogun State, where Prime Minister Gonsalves was the guest lecturer.
Obasanjo stated in a statement issued by the former President’s Special Assistant on Media, Kehinde Akinyemi, that Africans and Caribbeans must look to other economic areas to help the continents prosper.
The Prime Minister intimated that he and Obasanjo had met recently in the convocation talk with the theme ‘Technological Emancipation of Africa in the Digital Space and the Global Drive for Reparations,’ proposing how both continents could promote development for the continents.
“Our beloved ‘Baba’ and I have recently engaged in conversations on the developmental challenges and potential solutions in Africa, the Caribbean, and the wider African diaspora,” he stated.
“On the occasion of the Afreximbank’s 30th anniversary, we were on stage with the Bank’s President, Professor Benedict Oramah, in Accra, Ghana, in mid-June 2023, discussing the theme ‘Delivering the Vision, Building Prosperity for Africans.’
“Six weeks later, on July 30, Baba Obasanjo, the revered elder statesman of Jamaica, Percival J. Patterson, and I were hosted by Prime Minister Mia Mottley of Barbados in a fascinating, and indeed compelling global, discourse titled ‘Emancipation Conversation: Three Legends, Three Perspectives, One Conversation: Reparations and Beyond.’
“Shortly after, Baba paid a memorable visit to my country to honour the people of St. Vincent and the Grenadines.” It is now my turn to be with my dearest brother, his people, the faculty, students, and leadership of Bells University of Technology, including Vice-Chancellor Professor Jeremiah Ojediran, here in Ota, Ogun State, Nigeria, the most populous of the 54 African Union member states and the ancestral homeland of many of our Caribbean, our Diaspora.”
The Prime Minister noted that at first glance, the themes of Africa’s technological emancipation in the digital age and the worldwide campaign for reparations for native genocide and the enslavement of African bodies look unconnected.
“Such a presumption or conclusion would be incorrect,” he said. Indeed, they are inextricably linked in the composite, integrated drive for sustainable development, for the change, for the better, of our lives, livelihoods, and production.
“Inexorably, they telescope our lived experiences of the past, present, and anticipated future, which is the only time for us to desecrate.”
“Our shared experiences must be institutionally translated into shared expressions.” That is one of the main reasons I am here with you today.
“The seventh edition of the UNESCO Science Report, titled “The Race Against Time for Smarter Development,” and due out in 2021, makes a number of pertinent assertions, including the following: It’s remarkable how development priorities have converged over the last five years. Countries of all income levels are emphasising simultaneous transitions to digital and “green” economies.
“This two-step transition reflects a dual imperative.” On the one hand, time is running out for countries to achieve their Sustainable Development Goals by 2030. Countries, on the other hand, are certain that the speed with which they transition to digital societies will determine their future economic progress.”
Prof. Jeremiah Oludele Ojediran, Vice-Chancellor, revealed in his convocation speech that on the National Universities Commission and Sub-Saharan universities rankings, the university, which was on “observer status in 2022, is now on reporter status in 2023.”
He attributed this to the continuous rise in recognition and small contributions to excellence in service delivery.