Former Vice President Yemi Osinbajo has said that Africa’s economic growth will continue to be hindered until it is anchored on social justice that prioritises the welfare of its citizens. He recently revealed that Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth figures alone do not translate to genuine progress if citizens remain poor and excluded.
Speaking during his keynote address titled “Social Justice as an Imperative to Development” at the 65th anniversary celebration of the Ford Foundation in Abuja, Osinbajo shared that despite Africa being the fastest-growing continent in GDP growth, the reality is that Africans are not living better lives.
According to him, the overall quality of life of an average African is still quite low based on global indices measuring health, education and infrastructure.
He stated that GDP development does not reflect the true state of insecurity and unemployment across the continent.
“Africa is currently the fastest-growing continent in GDP growth and has been so for a while. Yet it remains the continent with the lowest overall quality of life based on global indices measuring health, education, infrastructure, and economic stability.
In other words, GDP growth does not mean development for the majority. It does not necessarily translate to jobs or a decent life for citizens. For many, the promise of a better life that a liberal democracy offers is simply not there,” he said.
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The former vice president, who chaired Nigeria’s Economic Management Team between 2016 and 2019, recalled his frustration at how citizens often disagree with official growth figures.
Osinbajo concluded by saying that development must be firmly rooted in fairness and equality for Africans to truly experience it.
“People would ask me, ‘Which country are you people talking about? I can’t pay my children’s school fees or hospital bills.’
It became clear to me that when we, as government, talk about growth, citizens wonder what we are talking about.
We shouldn’t talk about development unless it is somehow tied to the well-being and welfare of the majority of our people.
Social justice means fair access to opportunities, protection of rights and resources necessary to live a dignified and productive life.
Good governance is a critical social justice issue as well. Corruption, both public and private, lies at the heart of good governance,” he added.
