By Blessing Fali
Former President Goodluck Jonathan has warned that Africa’s poor performance in global university rankings could hinder the continent’s technological advancement, industrialisation and long-term economic growth.
Jonathan raised the concern on Monday in Abuja while delivering a lecture titled, “Harnessing Industrial Capacity for Inclusive Growth and Regional Stability in Africa,” to participants of Course 34 of the National Defence College.
The former President lamented that no African university currently features among the world’s top 100, while only the University of Cape Town was ranked among the top 200. He described the situation as a major setback for Africa’s development.
According to him, African countries cannot achieve meaningful technological and industrial progress without strengthening their education systems and establishing specialised institutions capable of producing highly skilled manpower.
Jonathan stressed the need for greater investment in education, research and human capital, noting that the continent’s young population represents one of its greatest resources.
He cited Singapore and India as examples of countries that deliberately invested in education and specialised institutions to develop the skilled workforce needed to drive economic transformation.
The former President warned that Africa risked being left behind in the ongoing technological revolution if urgent steps were not taken to improve the quality of education and equip young people with relevant skills in science, technology, engineering and information technology.
He also said Africa’s abundant natural resources alone could not guarantee prosperity unless countries developed the capacity to transform them into high-value products and services.
Jonathan urged African leaders to show sustained political commitment to education, innovation and industrial development, stressing that transforming the continent would require determination from both governments and citizens.
The Minister of Defence, General Christopher Musa, who was special guest of honour at the event, also stressed the importance of industrial capacity to Nigeria’s economic growth and national security.
Musa said Africa must turn its natural and human resources into value-added production, technological innovation and sustainable prosperity. He added that economic growth and security were closely connected, and urged the NDC participants to apply the knowledge gained during their training to national development and strategic leadership.
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