A start-up business lawyer, Mr Omoruyi Edoigiawerie, has stressed the need for African leaders to develop their human capital.
A statement noted that Edoigiaweri said this at the 32nd session of the United Nations Working Group of Experts on People of African Descent held over the weekend in Geneva, Switzerland.
He said, “Africa and the African continent that predominantly houses the black race must begin to look inward. We must begin to look inward and ensure that our dreams and the empowerment of the black race are bespoke and internally done. Empowerment must come from Africa if our bargaining power is to be better and if we are to converse with the outside world from a place of equality.”
Edoigiawerie said that Africa had been at the lower rear of the receiving hand and had continued to receive from a beggarly status, stressing that this had fuelled racial discrimination.
“Africa has what it takes to grow, build and re-create itself in such a way that it can now begin to converse with the outside world from a place of equality and superiority in terms of what we know and what we create.
“Stakeholders must continue to speak to the issues and push not just private sector practitioners who are building businesses and entrepreneurs who are promoting entrepreneurial and start-up growth in the African continent but also the leadership of the African continent to begin to create measures that provide economic empowerment for the people they rule and govern.”
Edoigiawerie criticised the imbalance in the issuance of visas to people of black extraction.
He stated that the imbalance and disproportionate nature of issued visas to people of the black race especially those from, is a classic indication that the continent is not seen as equal.
Speaking further, Edoigiawerie reiterated that reparative justice was beyond compensation for Africa.
He said that systems and structures were put in place to help the black continent develop meaningfully and had access to the right tools they need to be able to compete globally with the rest of the world.
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