The US President’s National Intelligence Council has said Nigeria has the potential to surpass Africa and become the leading State in Africa. However the potential for greatness is threatened by corruption, shallow democracies, and poor governance, says the Council.
The remarks were made in the Council’s Global Trends 2030 report. The Council releases the report during every US President’s administration to serve as a guide for policy making. This is the second such report released to Obama.
According to the report, “In Africa, Egypt, Ethiopia, and Nigeria have the potential to approach or surpass South Africa in overall national power, but the key will be better governance to further economic growth and social and human development.”
It further states, “In the coming decades, not only will the big emerging powers like China, India, and Brazil make relative economic gains, but Colombia, Mexico, Indonesia, South Korea, Turkey, and potentially Nigeria also will make their marks”
The report issues a strong warning, saying Nigeria could also fail by 2030 if the country fails to get its act together.
The report adds, “Nigeria is a good example of potential upside and downside risks from migration for many aspiring states. Nigeria’s increasingly favorable demographic conditions offer it the opportunity to escape from the economic stagnation it has seen in the post-Independence period.
“If it collects its demographic dividend in full, it could see per capita incomes treble by 2030, lifting 80 million people out of poverty. Part of that economic success would involve experiencing continued high levels of migration as young Nigerians immigrate to acquire or hone their skills abroad before returning to join the growing middle class and contribute to the economic miracle at home. Policy failure, in contrast, could lead to a demographic disaster, with economic underperformance and enhanced risks of strife and conflict, creating substantially increased incentives to migrate.”