At Cambridge University, Gov. Otti Says Africa Has Not Done Enough For Youth Participation In Politics

Dr. Alex Otti, Governor of Abia State, has stated that African leaders have not done enough to give youths the voice they need to play significant roles in continental politics, despite the fact that they account for roughly 75% of the continent’s population.

Governor Otti made this statement at the Cambridge Africa Business Conference, hosted by the University of Cambridge Judge Business School, where he participated in a fireside chat on the topic of ‘Africa Together – Public/Private Partnerships’.

In response to a question about the role he would like African youths to play in politics and the steps that should be taken to encourage them, According to Kazie Uko, Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Otti stated that the youths have been largely excluded because politics in Africa focuses on the wrong narratives of where one comes from, the faith they profess, and the language they speak, rather than what they can contribute.

Unfortunately, the Governor stated, the youths have helped the conspiracy to undermine their political importance by succumbing to the inanities.

According to him, “Seventy percent of our population (0-35 years) is youth; if you add 40 (year olds), you are looking at 75 to 80%.”

“When we talk about politics, we exclude young people. Our politics focuses on the wrong narratives of tribe, religion, and language, rather than demographics and what a person has to offer.

“We have not done enough to give young people the voice they require, and they have bought the lie that what is important is religion, tribe, and language, rather than demographics and what a person can offer,” Governor Otti stated.

The Governor went on to say that only three African countries, Senegal, Ethiopia, and Malawi, have presidents under the age of 49, emphasising the importance of political education in changing narratives.

He told his audience that because he values education, his administration has allocated 20% of the State’s 2024 Budget to education and has begun the remodelling and retrofitting of 173 primary schools and 54 secondary schools across the State in order to provide functional and quality education to students.

When asked how the Central Bank of Nigeria’s digital currency product would create an enabling environment for small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs) to thrive, Governor Otti stated that his administration would embrace it once implemented. Meanwhile, he revealed that his government was working to provide N10 billion in funding at a very low interest rate for SME loans.

Already, he said, N1 billion is being disbursed at zero interest to small businesses in the grassroots through the cooperatives programme, which he started while running for governor of Abia.

The Governor announced that he had received requests from some companies that had left Aba, Abia’s commercial capital, due to the city’s poor infrastructure, particularly its roads, and now want to return.

According to him, this renewed interest stems from the recent award and launch of the reconstruction of the Osisioma-Ekeakpara industrial road, a critical corridor in Aba’s manufacturing layout.

He also stated that his administration is working to establish a new industrial layout around the Umuikaa axis in the State’s Isiala Ngwa South Local Government Area.

Governor Otti refused to be drawn into self-adulation or comparisons with other Nigerian states, citing the fact that each state faces unique challenges and priorities.

He did, however, explain that his administration’s modest visible achievements in the last 11 months were the result of his government focusing on what is important to the people and doing simple things in different ways.

In response to questions about the sectors that are most likely to attract investment in Africa, Governor Otti stated that objective conditions must be established.

He stated that “Capital will go to a place where it will make returns. Capital is so sensitive that it knows more about you than you do. Do your homework, create an enabling environment for capital to find you, and secure and make your environment appealing to capital.

He cited Information Communication Technology (ICT) through the establishment of innovation hubs and industrial parks for software engineers, robotics and 3D printing, mechanised agriculture with a value chain where our people will sell processed foods, and manufacturing as sectors to which his administration is already paying close attention and working hard to make viable in the state.

He also stressed the importance of encouraging the workforce by paying them on a regular and timely basis so that they have money to participate in the economy.

“People who do not have money cannot participate in the economy. It makes more sense to put money in the hands of those who will use it locally rather than those who will send it abroad,” Governor Otti explained.

He also explained that in order for production to occur, someone must be willing to buy, and people can only buy when they have money in their hands.