Having witnessed the current development in Nigeria, the spate of extrajudicial killings & human rights violations has reached an inflexion point. What young Nigerians are pushing for is a complete reform of the criminal justice system. But that cannot happen when unarmed civilians are being tortured and killed. If there is one thing Covid-19 has introduced, it is an opportunity to hit the reset button; which is exactly what the Nigerian youths have done. What this has presented on the antecedents of the country’s ineffective drive towards good governance, is a bleak and cheerless picture of the future for them.
Although the Covid-19 lockdown in Nigeria and across the world has eased off and most economic activities are up and running, the pace of recovery will be slow. Especially for regions such as Africa. In July 2020, for instance, the IMF posited that Africa’s recovery will be much slower than expected, especially in countries dependent on tourism, minerals & crude oil.
Source – https://www.dotmagazine.online/issues/digital-infrastructure-foundation/the-internet-of-the-future/future-smart-city
Nevertheless, policymakers can fast track the journey by prioritising investments and policy actions that address the current spate of unemployment on the continent. For a continent with a youth population of over 65%, special attention must be given to investments that actively engages its youth, expands its digital infrastructure and makes power supply more accessible and affordable.
Also, this is the time to empower small businesses because the massive job creation required to drive Africa will be private sector driven. More so, a big push towards departing from the era of exporting raw materials for cash is needed. Based on the return on investment, Africa can no longer afford to trade its raw materials for cash. Policymakers must channel their focus on increasing African capabilities to deliver value-added products to the global market. That way, indigenous production can thrive.
To achieve this Africa will need project management as a tool for policy implementation, inclusive infrastructure delivery for national development and investments for economic growth.
