Former President Goodluck Jonathan has described as “terribly bad”, a situation where no African university was among the world’s top 100, while only the University of Cape Town featured among the top 200.
He stated that the situation was a major setback to the continent’s technological and industrial development.
Jonathan spoke on Monday in Abuja while delivering a lecture titled, “Harnessing Industrial Capacity for Inclusive Growth and Regional Stability in Africa,” to participants of Course 34 of the National Defence College.
He said Africa could not achieve meaningful technological advancement and industrialisation without strengthening its education system and establishing specialised institutions capable of producing skilled manpower.
“We must review and recalibrate our businesses from the primary schools to the universities. We don’t have any specialised universities in Africa. It’s terribly bad,” he said.
The former President urged African leaders to prioritise investment in education and human capital development, describing the human brain as one of the continent’s most important resources.
Citing Singapore’s economic transformation, Jonathan said the country’s development was driven largely by deliberate investment in education and capacity building despite its limited natural resources.
He also cited India’s emergence as a global information technology hub, saying the country deliberately established specialised institutions to develop highly skilled manpower.
“India, at independence from the British, set up institutions that prepared India for the future. They set up specialised institutions, not for everybody. They are training their best brains to control and dominate the world,” Jonathan said.
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He said African countries must move beyond an education system that largely produces graduates without the specialised skills required by modern economies.
Jonathan urged African leaders to develop institutions capable of nurturing innovation in science, technology, engineering and information technology, particularly among young people.
He warned that Africa risked missing out on the current technological revolution if urgent measures were not taken to develop its human capital.
“If we miss out on the industrial revolution, agri-revolution, all the revolutions, IT is now ruling the world. We cannot continue to lag. We must focus on young people,” he said.
Jonathan also said Africa’s abundant natural resources would not automatically guarantee prosperity unless countries developed the capacity to transform them into high-value goods and services.
He noted that the continent had abundant natural resources, human capital and a large market but continued to lag behind other regions in value addition and industrialisation.
The former President urged the NDC participants, whom he described as emerging strategic leaders, to champion policies that would strengthen education, technological capacity and industrial development in their respective countries.
He said transforming Africa’s education and industrial sectors would require sustained political commitment and determination.
“We cannot achieve that overnight, but with a commitment by the leaders, a determination by the citizens, we can still change the story of Africa,” Jonathan said.
In his remarks, the Minister of Defence, Gen Christopher Musa (retd.), said strengthening Nigeria’s defence autonomy was critical to achieving sustainable economic growth, national resilience and security.
Musa, who was the special guest of honour at the event, said security and prosperity were mutually reinforcing, stressing that sustainable development could not thrive in an environment of insecurity.
“Lasting peace cannot be sustained without inclusive economic growth, just as sustainable development cannot flourish in an environment of insecurity,” he said.
The minister said industrial capacity had become a strategic imperative for Nigeria and Africa, as a resilient industrial base would strengthen economic competitiveness, create productive employment and enhance national resilience.
He also urged African countries to pursue policies that would promote industrialisation, innovation and shared prosperity.
