The 2023 presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi, has shared suggestions on how African countries can navigate the challenges caused by trade policies introduced by former U.S. President Donald Trump.
Speaking on Tuesday in London at the 2025 Commonwealth Enterprise and Investment Council (CWEIC) Trade and Investment Summit, Obi addressed the topic “Africa’s Role in the New Global Economy.” He encouraged African leaders to focus on investing in their youthful population, which includes over a billion people of working age. He said that by developing skilled workers, the continent could boost productivity that would benefit both Africa and the world.
According to Obi, “The discussion on Africa’s Role in the New Global Economy is a topic of immense importance considering the opportunities and endless potentials within the vast continent of Africa, which, when fully harnessed, promises a great positive impact, not just within the Commonwealth economy but globally.”
He noted that President Trump’s recent actions have disrupted long-held expectations about how the global economy functions. While many countries have responded by protecting their economies, Obi pointed out that such proactive steps are largely missing in Africa.
Obi highlighted Africa’s poor position in global trade, saying that the continent’s share of global trade is just 2-3%, with its contribution to global GDP around 3%. He compared Africa’s GDP per capita of $1,900 to Asia’s $9,000 and said these figures have remained unchanged for over 20 years. Yet, he emphasized that Africa has great advantages — a population of 1.5 billion, most of whom are young and ready to work.
He also stressed the value of the continent’s natural resources, including nearly a billion hectares of fertile, unused land. “Africa holds over 60% of the world’s arable land. Approximately 30 per cent of the world’s mineral resources are found in Africa,” Obi said.
Although Africa did not benefit much during the last phase of globalization, he argued that the continent must now act to benefit from the trade systems that will emerge if Trump becomes U.S. president again. He urged African governments to invest in their youth to build the skilled workforce needed for both regional and global growth.
Obi also pointed to agriculture as a major opportunity, saying, “Africa’s food and agriculture market is projected to increase from its present amount of about US$280 billion a year to over US$1 trillion a year by 2030.” He explained that Africa could become a major food exporter and play a vital role in the world economy.
However, Obi said that progress will depend on better leadership. “What is missing is the leadership that can reorder priorities and scale up productivity so that African countries can enter higher grade value creation. We have seen evidence of the possibility of higher-grade value creation in some of the better-governed African countries. The challenge is scaling up and sustaining innovative production in the region.”
He stressed that Africa must be ready to offer the goods and services the world needs and take advantage of whatever trade systems survive disruptions caused by Trump’s policies.
“This is a junction for transformative change in Africa. This period requires new thinking about leadership. It requires refocusing on productivity. Africa pursued economic convergence in the previous era by importing political and economic institutions of Western developed economics without focusing on productivity and human capital development like the developmental state of Asia. This is the time to rebuild African economies through new leadership that focuses on rapid upgrades in productive capacities, especially innovative education and healthcare and pulling Africans out of poverty,” Obi said.
The statement was signed by Ibrahim Umar, spokesman for the Peter Obi Media Reach (POMR), on April 8, 2025.
