In an exclusive interview, Nigeria’s Foreign Minister, Yusuf Maitama Tuggar, articulated a clear mandate: the global architecture must evolve for the 21st century, and the Global South is ready to lead that change, with Nigeria, a future nation of 400 million people, at its forefront; its influence is undeniable.
“We need global political structures and a global financial architecture that are suited for the 21st century and not the 20th century. And the Global South has a very significant, very important role to play. As does the largest country on the continent of Africa, that is Nigeria, with a population of 230 million people, set to become 400 million in the next 25 years. So, we would be the third most populous nation on Earth. You cannot build a future without taking into cognizance the importance of Nigeria. And that’s why, in terms of partnership, the BRICS partners are among our largest trading partners,“ the minister illuminated.
Furthermore, the podcast spotlights Ethiopia’s execution of an ambitious project that provides the physical architecture. The country, already known as the political capital of Africa, is now poised to become its preeminent aviation and logistics hub through the new Bishoftu International Airport. Speaking about the megaproject, Lemma Yadecha Gudeta, Chief Commercial Officer of Ethiopian Airlines, described it as a core part of Ethiopian Airlines' mission to bring Africa together and closer to the world, directly enhancing connectivity across the continent and with key partners like the BRICS nations.
"When we build this airport, this will create better connectivity among African nations, and also it will fulfill our commitment, which we started eight decades ago under the motto of bringing Africa together and closer to the world [...] The new airport will be a smart airport with very much enhanced capability, including artificial intelligence and robotics that are going to operate in the new airport [....] it will enhance the movement of people and the movement of goods between the BRICS nations," the senior officer expressed.
With this monumental infrastructure leap, the chief executive officer of CBE Investment Bank, Zemedeneh Negatu, highlighted that this is a syndicated financing project, a common practice for mega-projects globally, and the African Development Bank is the lead arranger.
This is going to be a syndicated financing. Not a single institution will finance it by itself. So there's an arranger, a big bank; the African Development Bank has been selected [...] This is not just an airport; this is an airport city, so it's a holistic thing. It will be a destination unto itself as well when it's completed. [...] it's good for Africans to think big like this, that it's doable. Last week, Ethiopia inaugurated the largest dam. You saw how a lot of Ethiopians felt. They're very proud of it. It showed that it's doable. The "Yes, we can!" kind of mentality. And this one is even bigger, probably, on multiple fronts. So a big project, transformational for Africa, for Ethiopia,“ Negatu explained.
This episode also features:
Craig Wing, CEO of What The Foresight, South Africa
Okito Kongo Christophe, President of The New Generation of Africans (NGO), Congo DR
Tune in to listen to the full conversation with our guests on the Pan African Frequency podcast, brought to you by Sputnik Africa.
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