As Nigeria prepares for the 2027 General Elections, former President Goodluck Jonathan has urged political leaders to look beyond immediate political gains and adopt policies that will secure a better future for generations yet unborn.

Jonathan, who spoke in Lagos yesterday at the 13th Anniversary Memorial Lecture in honour of the late former Ondo State Governor, Dr Olusegun Agagu, said leaders elected to office must use their positions to plan for the country’s long-term prosperity.

He said political leaders, particularly governors and Presidents, should not focus only on the needs of the present generation, but must consider the impact of their policies on future generations.

The former President called for sustainable policies that can transform Nigeria’s economic fortunes, stressing that the country needed policies that would change its economic atmosphere rather than provide only temporary gains.

Jonathan also advocated a shift from the export of raw materials to value addition, saying Africa’s abundant natural resources had failed to translate into corresponding prosperity because much of the processing and manufacturing took place outside the continent.

According to him, African countries must ensure that their natural resources generate industries, create jobs, enhance technology and expand opportunities, particularly for the continent’s young population.

He commended the Olusegun Agagu Foundation for sustaining the memorial lecture and keeping alive the values and ideals of the late governor.

MEANWHILE, Jonathan and former Botswana President, Mokgweetsi Masisi, have urged African countries to move away from exporting raw materials and importing finished products, calling for greater local processing, manufacturing and value addition to drive economic prosperity.

While Jonathan spoke on the need to transform Africa’s natural wealth into shared prosperity, Masisi delivered the keynote address titled, “Africa’s Resources, Africa’s Prosperity: Capturing More of the Value We Create.”

Jonathan said Africa’s abundant natural resources had failed to translate into corresponding prosperity because much of the value addition associated with the resources took place outside the continent.

Using the cocoa industry as an example, the former President noted that West Africa accounted for about 30 per cent of global cocoa bean production, while most high-value activities, including processing and chocolate manufacturing, were carried out outside the continent.

He cited an illustration attributed to the Ghana Cocoa Board, saying one kilogramme of cocoa beans could be worth about $5, while the value could rise to between $12 and $18 after processing into chocolate and other finished products.

In his keynote address, Masisi said Africa had a massive share of global natural wealth, including about 30 per cent of the world’s mineral reserves, significant quantities of critical minerals needed for the green energy transition, about 40 per cent of global gold and up to 90 per cent of chromium and platinum.

He also noted that Africa possessed significant oil and natural gas resources, an estimated 65 per cent of the world’s uncultivated arable land and a large proportion of the world’s youngest population.