Business magnate, Ibrahim Mahama, has called on leaders of West African countries to take bold and strategic action to harness their rich natural resources as a pathway to socio-economic self-reliance and freedom from dependence on the West.
He said countries such as Ghana, Nigeria, Mali and Burkina Faso were endowed with enormous minerals, including gold, lithium and other critical minerals, which must be explored and developed to serve as powerful engines for economic growth and provide the capital needed for true independence.
To realise such potential, Mr Mahama advocated the need for both the public and private sectors to invest in the establishment of mineral training institutions across the region to build local expertise in mineral exploration and extraction.
That, he believed, would not only create jobs for the youth but also strengthen West African countries’ capacity to add greater value to their natural resources.
Let’s do it together
Speaking at the seventh ZIK International Peace and Leadership Award lecture in Accra last Friday, Mr Ibrahim said, “If we properly utilise our resources and invest in our people, we can build the economic strength and independence we need to chart our own progress.
Award
Mr Ibrahim made the call after he was bestowed with the Entrepreneurship, Innovation and Sustainable Development Award at the ceremony.
Other awardees were the Group Managing Director of Zenith Bank Plc, Dame Dr Adaora Umeoji, who won the Transformational Leadership in Banking and Financial Innovation award; the Executive Governor of Nasarawa State of Nigeria, Abdullahi A. Sule, who took the award for Excellence in Public Sector and Sustainable Development, and the Executive Governor of Zamfara State, Dauda Lawal, who won the Excellence in Public Sector Leadership and Economic Reform.
The rest were the Chairman of the South East Council of Traditional Rulers, Igwe Sir Samuel Ikechukwu Asadu, who had the Distinguished Africa Royal Leadership and Community Development award; the Nigerian High Commissioner-designate to Ghana, Ambassador Shehu Ilu Barde, and the Majority Chief Whip in Ghana’s Parliament, Rockson-Nelson Dafeamekpor.
The event, which was held on the theme: “Leadership, peace and regional integration: Advancing Africa’s development in a changing global order”, was used to recognise individuals making meaningful contributions to public sector leadership, economic reforms and regional integration across Africa.
Mr Ibrahim, who is also the Executive Chairman of Engineers and Planners, recalled that in the 1970s and 80s, his father had a Nigerian friend named Apatabe with whom he engaged in business.
He said his father farmed about 3,000 acres of rice and sold the produce to Nigeria.
He said contrary to the challenges his father experienced in farming due to lack of access to modern farm equipment, he and other young farmers in Ghana and Nigeria today enjoyed access to modern farming equipment to bolster food security, yet were failing to do so.
Nigerian influence
Mr Mahama told the gathering that he could trace most of his success and breakthroughs in the field of business to the connections he had in Nigeria.
He said he looked up to Nigeria so much since “success has come from my two Nigerian friends”.
He described the bond between the two countries as a strong one, yet such a bond had not been harnessed fully yet.
“Former President Obasanjo was one of my mentors, as well as the one who inspired me in the chicken farm business,” he said.
