Nigeria Democratic Congress NDC presidential candidate, Mr Peter Obi, has called on Africans in the diaspora to play a more active role in promoting good governance, democratic accountability, and sustainable development across the continent.
Speaking on Friday, July 10, 2026, at Mandela Hall, the African Union Permanent Observer Mission to the United Nations in New York, Obi delivered the keynote address on “The Role of the Diaspora African in Sustainable Development across Africa.”
In his address, Obi described Africa as the world’s richest continent in terms of natural and human resources, noting that it spans more than 30 million square kilometres and is home to over 1.5 billion people, including the world’s largest youthful workforce. He also highlighted that Africa possesses nearly one billion hectares of arable land, about 60 percent of which remains uncultivated, giving the continent the capacity to feed itself and become a global food production powerhouse.
Despite these enormous advantages, Obi lamented that Africa remains home to the highest concentration of people living in extreme poverty. He noted that nearly 60 percent of the world’s approximately 800 million people living in extreme poverty reside in Africa, with countries such as Nigeria and the Democratic Republic of the Congo among the worst affected.
According to him, the continent’s greatest challenge is not a lack of resources but a deficit of effective leadership.
“The missing link is competent leadership with capacity, compassion, character and commitment to good governance,” Obi declared, stressing that Africa’s transformation depends on leaders who can harness its vast potential for the benefit of its people.
Addressing members of the African diaspora, Obi urged them to become stronger advocates for accountability and democratic governance. He said Africans living abroad have a unique responsibility to speak truth to leaders, demand better governance, and use their voices to promote transparency and institutional reforms across the continent.
Drawing lessons from global development success stories, Obi cited Japan’s post-Meiji Restoration modernization, China’s economic reforms under Deng Xiaoping, and India’s emergence as a global medical tourism destination as examples of how diaspora communities contributed significantly to national development through knowledge transfer, innovation, and investment.
He argued that Africa could achieve similar progress by creating an enabling environment that encourages skilled professionals in the diaspora to contribute their expertise to the continent’s development.
Obi further emphasized that credible elections remain the foundation of legitimate governance, urging Diaspora Africans to support efforts that promote free, fair, and transparent electoral processes across Africa.
He maintained that sustainable development can only thrive where democratic institutions are strengthened and leaders are held accountable.
Concluding his address, Obi called for stronger collaboration between Africans at home and those abroad to build a continent defined by peace, unity, shared prosperity, and sustainable economic growth.
He ended with his familiar message: “A New Nigeria is POssible.”
