Africa needs to add value to its resources
Exporting raw materials and then importing finished products is bad for Africa. So affirmed former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo in a concise video address to the 2026 African Refiners and Distributors Association (ARDA) conference, being held at the Century City Conference Centre, in Cape Town.
"I have always believed that, for Africa to develop and progress, we must stop being exporters of raw materials and add value," he said. A secure and affordable energy supply was essential for the continent's development.
"In 2026, the imperative for African solutions for African problems has never been more critical," he highlighted. A series of major wars elsewhere in recent years, and "shifting paradigms" in the global North had taught Africa a major lesson: dependence on external sources was a source of vulnerability.
Africa must strengthen its existing refineries, build new ones, construct pipelines and other infrastructure, to shield the African people from global shocks. To help with this, African countries had to fully implement the African Continental Free Trade Area.
He urged ARDA and its members to focus on these strategic issues, and not just matters within the industry, such as technology.
"The job of fully electrifying and powering Africa is just beginning," he concluded. "We have a long way to go."
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