New Cold War: Gambari charges African leaders to seize youth population to form joint rule makers

Ambassador Ibrahim Gambari, the former Undersecretary General of the United Nations, has charged leaders of African nations to take advantage of its “youth population” in “insisting on being joint rule makers so that the new global order that is being forged reflects our values and aspirations for a fairer, more inclusive, and equitable world”.

Speaking at the 12th Annual Lecture of Realnews Magazine on Tuesday in Lagos, the former Nigerian Minister of Foreign Affairs disclosed that “with well over a billion people and an overwhelmingly youthful population, the African continent is destined for a significant role in the demographics of the world in a context in which populations are both declining and ageing rapidly in many other parts of the world”.

He advocated that Africa countries must “build national and regional strategies to leverage the energy, innovative acumen, and futuristic vision of its young people in order to ensure that as a new world order takes shape, we are positioned to be joint rule makers”.

Stressing his points, Ambassador Gambari who has also served Nigeria as Chief of Staff to former President Muhammadu Buhari explained that “although there is no doubt that up we are in the throes of rapid, complex, multidimensional change in global affairs, it is equally important to know that the outcome of the ongoing geopolitical shifts are not necessarily destined to be at the expense of or to the detriment of our people and continent.

It “means that we must be ready to harness our abundant human and natural resources to leapfrog our development in order to achieve the structural transformation that has eluded us for too long.

“It also means that we cannot afford to sit on the sidelines while the rules of a new world order are being written; we have the opportunity to insist on being joint rule makers so that the new global order that is being forged reflects our values and aspirations for a fairer, more inclusive, and equitable world.

“In this, we must ensure that our youth bulge is turned into an advantage that puts us at the forefront of the digital economy and the innovations underpinning it,” Ambassador Gambari added.

Speaking further, he said, “taking advantage of the possibilities opened up by new digital technologies and artificial intelligence, various options for electronic warfare are being developed.

“In all of this, prime locations around the world that offer one form or the other of strategic advantage are being sought,” he said, adding that Africa, with an abundance of such strategic sites is, not surprisingly, the target of competitive bid from the Big and Middle Powers setting up military bases.

“We know that the entire seaboard of Africa is already dotted with military bases operated by various powers; the continent is once again at the centre of a scramble as the new Cold War intensifies.

“In addition to geo-strategic considerations in the event of conflicts and war, there are strong interests in securing access to and control of strategic and critical minerals and arable land and forests,” the renowned diplomat disclosed.