On Monday, Billionaire CEO of Facebook, Mark Zuckerberg,
on Monday was with Pope Francis in the Vatican. It was quite a shock when we were greeted with news on Tuesday that he was in Nigeria, unannounced! He conspicuously did not meet any government official and met with technology persons and nollywood stars. He also promised to make Facebook available in more native languages. After two days, he went to Kenya. He's back to Nigeria. This time, he met with the President and other top government officials (was it an afterthought? Lol). Not long ago, the US Secretary of State visited Nigeria and went to the far North for the first time.
One thing is sure. Though Nigeria has been portrayed by the US embassy as unsafe, Zuckerberg's visit and public movement (even jogging on a bridge) without tight security proves that the country is indeed visitable.
Another point is that there is something in Nigeria, and Africa at large, that attracts them. There are opportunities which they see. There are resources which we have that they want to harness. For Zuckerberg to leave his comfort zone and come to Nigeria, there is something he has to gain. Despite the poor internet facilities in Nigeria, it still has over 7 million users on Facebook. That is something! Imagine what would be the case if Nigeria was advanced like other countries with unlimited Internet services. We have a large market for investors. It is surprising that despite the recession the country is facing, many investors have remained.
Apart from the large market, Nigeria (and indeed Africa) is blessed with more resources than many developed nations. Britain and China do not have as many resources as we do. Neither does France. Apart from imperialism, what has worked for these countries is their manpower. A country like China makes use of its over a billion people population to its advantage. Other countries are blessed with brains. So although they may not have much natural resources, they know where and how to get it, and how best to make use of it. That's what people like Zuckerberg are doing in Africa.
Then Africa is very lucky. Unlike others, we don't need to go far to succeed. What we need is all around us. What has been our problem is selfish and corrupt leaders who have looted Africa and mortgaged her prospects for their personal gain. We must begin to look inwards and tap into our resources. If foreigners are doing that, why shouldn't we?
A critical example of what can happen if you think Africa is Aliko Dangote. Everyone must have heard about him already so he needs no introduction. He has most of his investment in Nigeria. However, he is richer than people who have investments scattered around the world. He's richer than Donald Trump, Richard Branson (owner of Virgin Atlantic) and a host of other billionaires. He's currently building a refinery and fertilizer plant- the largest in Africa. It is said that it will produce over 200% of what Nigeria is currently producing (refined oil). Imagine a lot of Nigeria's crude oil being refined by Dangote. Not to mention the fertilizer plant which is likely to boost agriculture and save commercial farmers money spent on importing fertilizer. Most of them will begin to buy his fertilizer. That means more money for him. His netwoth will skyrocket upon commencement of operations of his refinery. The location of his refinery is in Lagos; close to the port, for possible exportation.
A lot of opportunities abound in Africa. In fact, Africa should be called the land of opportunity but for our reckless past. We must learn to give ourselves the same opportunities we give others. We must create an enabling environment for development. Peace must be the first step. No nation thrives in crisis. We must also have effective and responsive leaders. All other things necessary for development must be put in place. Africa can be great again.
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