•Ebube Ebisike George
Standing on existing protocol, ladies and gentlemen. I thank Ikechukwu Edwin of Afrimerge and team for the invitation to address this most eminent gathering. I am His Excellency Hon. Ebube Ebisike George – Minister Of Trade of the State Of The African Diaspora (SOAD). I will be telling you more about who we are and what our mandate is.
I will be discussing the subject matter of “Sovereignty of the Pan-African Mindset As A Strategic Pathway To o Rethinking and Driving Africa’s Developmental Issues Through Technology.”
A few days ago Donald Trump made history as the 47th President of The United States of America and has swung into action dismantling the Deep State whilst shaping geopolitics. Also in October 2024, “Sovereignty” was the theme of this year’s BRICS Summit, the 16th annual conference of major Oil producing and rapidly developing countries.
The concept of BRIC was a brainchild of Brazil’s frontier visionaries which was pitched to Russia many years ago. BRICS – Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa are now fielding new memberships including one NATO member being Turkey. I am sure for those who are aware, this must trigger your thoughts on geopolitical ramifications and its implications for the unraveling new World Order.
There is no doubt that the BRICS goal of dedollarization and the strategic economic emancipation and realignment of the holistic Global South away from Western hegemonic Unipolarity to a Multipolar world where Africa stands to benefit in terms of a new paradigm of economic prosperity key to us all seated in this hall as well as the continent and entire pan African community.
Sovereignty of the African and Pan-African Mindset is key to our continent’s leadership and followership consciousness. For without a sovereign mind free from foreign psychological operations and manipulations, Africans cannot unlearn, relearn and dispassionately interrogate the realities of who we are originally from the past and where we are going in the future. This helps us understand where we stand now in the 4th Industrial Revolution, an AI immersed world and as a species which has become more increasingly technology savvy and space faring.
Africa must teach science and technological capacity in her indigenous languages and understand her role today after a post colonial history marked by exterminations, brainwash using the tool of religion and exploitation that has lasted well over 400 years. Sovereignty of mindset for Africa and the Pan-African community means the black race must for it’s successor generation reform our societies by modernising our educational systems whilst breaking away from colonial teachings and curricula, opting to move to practical and vocational problem solving pedagogy. Africa must build her Industries and vast manufacturing capacity whilst striving to achieve full resource(s) control and ensure technology transfer in her partnerships with global partners and corporations.
Africa must reinvent our agricultural value chains to overcome hunger, nutritional poverty and famine whilst also refusing GMO impositions which will decimate our food sovereignty and agricultural sustainability. Africa must infact invest in the knowledge ecosystem and shorten the distance between research and development (R&D) and the commercialisation of ideas and patents, alongside protecting her people’s Intellectual property rights. Africa must modernize her holistic infrastructure, Africa must build her security architecture to become impervious to insurgencies, militancy and foreign funded infiltration(s) of all kinds. Africa must build an environment to support the return of the children of our historic diaspora and other blacks who want to return to build a life and professional capacity on the continent.
Africa must overcome by all means necessary foreign meddling in our elections which produces puppets and exposes our sociopolitical vulnerabilities. Africa must build and strive to achieve strategic (military) deterrence measures for our territory and people in a nuclear armed world, we must build our Media & Military Industrial complexes to become invasion ready such as to overcome undermining propositions of people/kinetic corporations such as Eric Princes’ Black Water and their cohorts. Africa must question the Western Bigpharm plots, issues of Biolabs and plandemic strategies to depopulate us.
Africa has to become part of the UN Security Council so she can be a key decision maker which protects her interests, territory and future generations. Africa must mold value systems in line with achieving our own patented principles of a respectable society, civilisational survival, competitiveness and frontiership from all forms of armageddon.
Africa must pursue a new funded chapter of sustainable energy security. We must build our own technological pathways, social media and scientific infrastructure independent of Western or Asian BigTech companies, as well as financial and trade systems which doesn’t leave us dependent on others.
Africa must take the leap of faith to ensure our machinists, inventors, disruptors, philosophers and all spectrum of knowledge workers in all areas especially the scientific field are given every form of support, impact investment and promotions such that their goods and services become products which can be bought and sold first in Africa by Africans, ensuring trade sufficiency under the existing framework of the Africa Continental Free Trade Agreement AfCFTA framework. African leaders must be held to account no matter their position and sit-tight leadership must be expunged by the system.
African countries must break away from being the bride of an exploitative scramble for her resources as also break away from the foreign aid receivership mentality which enables deviant regimes in power for Western interests.
African leaders must refuse the consistent Bretton Woods economic hitman jobs and listen as well as empower their economies and societies and particularly technology ecosystems and hubs with support and strategic subsidies that drive growth and productivity amongst the people.
All developed nations of the world provide an enabling environment fueled by their home grown policies and subsidies to drive their strategic economic competitiveness and advancement, they even apply protectionism where necessary to preserve their local industries from foreign encroachment. So why does Africa lag behind in doing what is necessary for her people and local industries to thrive and compete favorably no matter the global economic chess game and shockwaves?
Has anyone here seen that video of President Donald Trump and Elon Musk dancing in choreographed sync to the old classic song “Staying Alive”? (LOL), My Chief of Staff at the SOAD Ministry of Trade – Ambassador Uchenna Ezeokeke described the scene as “Elon Musk done hit” in a sense Elon Musk has somewhat become the Dangote of America because he and his investments and tech partners/ecosystem stand to benefit immensely from the American Government investments, economic subsidies, support, plans and reforms of President Trump Administration. This is a fact.
All the above and more is simply to say Africa’s economic success can and will be achieved by her Governments looking inward first to ensure the levers of their country’s institutions work to create an enabling environment for homegrown ideas, energy sufficiency strategies and technologies to drive growth, revenues and profits embedded in projects the Africa Energy Fund (AEF) founded by His Eminence Engr. Oji (Eze Aro of Arochukwu Kingdom, Abia State). The AEF is set to revolutionize funding for energy projects that will inform a new sustainable paradigm for Africa’s energy sector. Also note the success of Fintechs like Empasa in Kenya and/or Flutterwave in Nigeria and across Africa.
My close friend, the Ugandan-British Scientist Eric Masaba based in Liverpool originally invented TEXXI, which most of you know today as Uber, just like Maxwell Chikumbutso, the Zimbabwean inventor shocked the world with microsonic powered helicopters, televisions and power generation apart from other applications of this cutting edge technology. Both Eric Masaba and Maxwell Chikumbutso have suffered great technological disenfranchisement and injustices for their genius, because they are black. Africa needs a massive sovereign shock therapy for her reawakening to come full circle.
African countries need to become less corrupt across their Institutions and bureaucracies, africa needs to be more borderless, unite around a currency and speak with one voice. In passing, it is also important to mention the rise of the Ndeipi Coin and Payment system which is geared to serve Africa and diaspora needs. Ndeipi is being honoured today and is open to investment partnership so be sure to reach out.
It is key to emphasize that the above means technology will help minimize corruption and entrench transparency whilst creating a competitive grounds for all and sundry to thrive free from religious persecution, ethnic bigotry and propaganda.
The sad situation of the “Japa” syndrome or braindrain currently being witnessed due to the lack of leadership vision, narrow minded clannishness and fulatheid policy decisions in Nigeria in the last nine (9) years continues to impact deep scars and losses across all sectors of the economy. As of today Nigeria’s GDP has shrunk to less than half of its over $540 Billion stature in 2014.
We all must agree that time is of the essence to act wisely as a people when it comes to leadership choices in election cycles. Elections have consequences on technological development footprints, ask America, China and any/all industrialised country of the old or modern world, even in the ancient era when Rome had a black Emperor, policies and decrees pronounced ensure these civilisations become stronger and thrived or become the next item to be conquered by their enemies, thus becoming economically plundered after losing a war and in many cases sovereignty stripped of statehood, thus they were consigned to oblivion. Ukraine is the world’s lastest victim here.
I hope I have been able to take you on a compelling journey of why technological advancement homegrown by Africans is the only pathway to Africa’s emergence as a Super power of the future. By 2100, Nigeria will have a population of close to 400 million people, making it the third most populated country in the world then.
Nigeria in her holistic or deconstructed form will play a huge role in shaping Africa’s future fortunes and impacting the world then. In Abia State, Nigeria under Governor Alex Otti a new model and methodology in governance is yielding dividends in infrastructure development and other sectors of the economy for the people of the state and region.
To round up, let me use this medium to introduce the State Of The African Diaspora (SOAD) which is led by His Excellency Dr. Louis-Georges Tin in the capacity of Prime Minister and which was birthed on July 1st, 2018 with the backing of the African Union. SOAD is the Sixth region of Africa which is the diaspora. The African Diaspora contributes over $80 billion annually to the African continent.
We as the SOAD Government are working with Africa’s leadership assiduously to serve the people of Africa so as to achieve heights based on her expansive gifts of human capital and also based on controlling the natural resources submerged in her terra firma. For instance in Imo State where I am from, Ohaji/Egbema is an Oil-rich LGA and has the largest gas reserves in Africa. Estimated at 203 trillion ft3, this makes up 33% of Africa’s total gas reserves. Russia is No.1 and Nigeria is ranked No. 9 of the top 10 countries with largest Natural Gas reserves.
Thank you all for this historic opportunity to address you all as we strive collectively to impact the future of Africa positively with a sovereign mindset to dent the global order.
*Being a speech delivered by His Excellency, Hon. Ebube Ebisike George, Minister of Trade, State Of The African Diaspora (SOAD)
