Great admiration for Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India for recognising the need to have a representation of the African continent in the Group of Twenties (G20), in the last G20 summit held in India. Africa, a continent that holds 17 per cent of the global population, and an estimated 25 per cent of the world population by 2050, to be at the table and be part of discussions and decisions that pertain to their populace.

Nigeria will need to take a clue from India’s rise and progressive growth as both countries share some similar challenges and current realities. Some of these similarities are in the areas of colonial stories, population, diverse ethnicities, and different religious affiliations, to highlight a few. Over the past decades, India has engineered and steered organic growth to rise to dominance in various areas, the second largest exporter of rice, sugar, wheat, and cotton; a health hub for medical tourism and information technology with a global presence with the recent landing on the dark side of the moon.

Nigeria has exported some aspects of culture, music, and art to the world. Accolades to the striving resilient youth population. Afrobeat music is celebrated and enjoyed across the world. Rejigging other sectors of the economy to prospective growth will pin Nigeria on the map and restore its dominance as the giant of Africa’s continent.

A nation that is punctured to treat its ailing citizens will not function at optimal levels. A robust health system will need to be in place. Medical accountability to our medical practitioners to ignite keen attention to purpose. In the past, young medical practitioners were deployed to communities and routine checks were done, medical advice was offered, ailments were prevented and, in some cases, identified at earlier stages, and further steps were taken to combat further acceleration.

This simple mechanism helped promote a healthy population through awareness, and it ultimately reduced the pressure of the growing health infrastructure at the time. With the advancement in technology, these simple practical steps can be accomplished through virtual and telecommunication. Climate change challenges are on the rise due to the distortion of our ecosystems, there are outbreaks of diseases, and data shows there will be increased outbreaks; our health institutions need to be strengthened to promote prevention and encourage medical research in the health sector, and when severe cases arise advance methods are then deployed. In addition to the abundance of plants and herbs that have various medicinal benefits, a positive lifestyle awareness and practice; a healthy population will be promoted.

In education, every child should be in school, educational institutions should be the epitome of excellence, a place where bright minds are proud to advance their knowledge and are celebrated. The educational system should be robust, and the school curriculum continuously improved to reflect the current advancement in today’s world.

Educational research should be well-funded and encouraged to pave the way for advancement, innovation, and problem-solving in our communities. Public universities should be qualitatively at par with other universities in the world and made affordable for the citizens.

Quality education should not only be accessed by the well-to-do but channels, wherein every citizen with an interest in higher education can access funds easily. This will greatly reduce the youth population that gravitates to other ill vices in society.

With improved access to education comes improved agricultural research, in various aspects like crop improvement, improved agricultural methods, mechanical tools and machinery, pest resistance crops, and climate-resilient crops.

Advancement in some agricultural research institutes has been seen in Ibadan and Umudike. These institutions and others alike need to be adequately funded and transparent measures implemented to ensure these funds make their way to the individuals making these groundbreaking discoveries. The outcome of these will reduce food scarcity and food costs. Nourishment of the children will not be a far goal for parents. In addition, the agricultural sector has been among the top-tier sectors that reduce unemployment in various economies, the various value chain and huge landmass present in the country can reduce the unemployment statistics.

Manufacturing, a key sector, to a reduction of unemployment in Nigeria, enabling this sector to grow and expand its capacity will impact greatly the economy, with expansion will come massive employment, export, and foreign exchange earnings. The small and medium-sized enterprise will spring up, because of the impact of the manufacturing sector, arising from semi-finished goods, and finished goods with the robust supply chain that comes with the various value chains.

The presence of natural resources and human resources should be a card to play the game of setting up factories and manufacturing hubs on Nigerian soil. Knowledge and technology transfer will be the goal of these investments. To enable these attractions to exist and thrive infrastructure needs to be optimal. Security of life and property, the rule of law, health systems, the internal structures to promote ease of doing business in the country, and the ease of moving goods within and outside the country.

Minerals and cash crops should be a deal breaker for attracting factories for manufacturing, and all goods are mandated to be exported as finished products and not raw materials.
Nigeria’s location on the Gulf of Guinea and the terrestrial connection among countries should be enhanced to attract large volumes of trade. Internally trade and the value chains improved amongst regions and states. The Silk Road has enriched economies since the 15th century, and there are similar investments today like the Israel, and Middle East-India route to promote trade. Internal routes in the nation are needed with infrastructure that protects life and property.

These initiatives will steer growth, with transparency and good leadership in a decade or two, Nigeria’s strength will be seen among the nations. With our strength will come the power and the attraction to be among the committee of nations, Group of Twenties.

May the white on the flag be transparent and the green continue to grow. God bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

Augusta Heavens Ikevuje, an MBA candidate with CT. Bauer College of the Business University of Houston, writes from the United States.