Former President Goodluck Jonathan, Monday, said the poor global ranking of African universities is responsible for the continent’s technological and industrial setback.

Jonathan spoke during a lecture titled “Harnessing Industrial Capacity for Inclusive Growth and Regional Stability in Africa”, organised for participants in the National Defence College (NDC) Course 34 in Abuja.

According to him, for Africa to technologically advance and also industrialise meaningfully, it must strengthen its education system and establish specialised universities capable of producing the needed skilled manpower  to drive innovation.

The former president regretted that no African university ranks among the world’s top 100, and that only the University of Cape Town makes it to the top 200, describing the situation as “terribly bad.”

He said: “We must review and recalibrate our businesses from the primary schools to the universities. We don’t have any specialised universities in Africa. It’s terribly bad.”

The former Nigerian leader tasked African leaders to urgently prioritise investment in education and human capital development, noting that the human brain remains one of the continent’s most important resources.

While referencing Singapore, Jonathan said the country’s transformation from a resource-poor nation into a globally competitive economy was largely driven by deliberate investment in education and capacity building.

The former president also cited India’s emergence as a global force in information technology.

“India, at independence from the British, set up institutions that prepared India for the future. They set up specialised institutions, not for everybody. They are training their best brains to control and dominate the world,” he said.

According to him, African countries must move away from an education system focusing largely on producing graduates without the specialised skills modern economies require.

He urged leaders to develop institutions that would nurture innovation, science, technology, engineering and information technology, particularly among young people.

 He warned that “If we miss out on the industrial revolution, agri-revolution, all the revolutions, IT is now ruling the world. We cannot continue to lag behind. We must focus on young people.”

The ex-Nigerian leader noted that the continent’s abundant natural resources would remain insufficient to guarantee prosperity unless African countries developed the capacity to convert them into high-value goods and services.

According to him, the continent had abundant natural resources, human capital and a large market, but remained behind other regions in value addition and industrialisation.

He said technological development should therefore form a central component of Africa’s industrialisation strategy, adding that the wealthiest economies were increasingly being driven by knowledge, innovation and technology rather than natural resources alone.

Describing the NDC graduating participants as emerging strategic leaders, he challenged them to  champion policies that would strengthen education, technological capacity and industrial development in their respective countries.

According to him, the transformation of Africa’s education and industrial sectors would not happen overnight.

Jonathan said:  “We cannot achieve that overnight, but with a commitment by the leaders, a determination by the citizens, we can still change the story of Africa.”

Defence minister

Also speaking, the Minister of Defence, Gen. Christopher Musa (retd.), said there was need for Nigeria and other African countries to build resilient institutions, invest in infrastructure, technology and human capital, and strengthen regional cooperation. 

He said strengthening Nigeria’s defence autonomy was critical to achieving sustainable economic growth, national resilience and security.

Musa said” “Lasting peace cannot be sustained without inclusive economic growth, just as sustainable development cannot flourish in an environment of insecurity.”

While saying industrial capacity has also become a strategic imperative, he said a resilient industrial base would strengthen economic competitiveness, create productive employment and enhance national resilience.

While commending the former president for his insight, the minister noted that  industrial capacity was “no longer merely an economic aspiration but a strategic imperative.”

According to him, Africa’s abundant natural and human resources must be transformed into value-added production, technological innovation and sustainable prosperity if the continent is to realise its full potential.

While underscoring the  essence of continental economic cooperation, especially via initiatives such as the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA),  he said the continent  must pursue policies that prioritises industrialisation, innovation, and shared prosperity.

Musa, therefore, called on the graduating participants to deploy the knowledge and networks acquired in the course of the programme  “to strengthen national resilience, promote economic development and enhance peace and security”  upon their return to their respective Services, Ministries, Departments and Agencies.

Musa said: “The knowledge and networks you have acquired here must now translate into sound policy, innovative thinking and effective leadership.”

According to him, the participants were graduating at a time strategic leadership was “more critical than ever,” and urged  them to champion integrated approaches to national security and development.