The 2023 presidential candidate of Labour Party (LP), Peter Obi, has said that China, which shared economic similarities with Africa in the recent past, has advanced beyond the continent because of competent and purposeful leadership.
He said this as a Speaker at the African Development Conference at Harvard Law School in Boston, Massachusetts, United States over the weekend.
Obi said, “Despite sharing remarkable similarities, such as China’s 9.6 million km² land area compared to Africa’s 30.3 million km², Africa has yet to realize its full potential.
“Both China and Africa have populations of about 1.4 billion people, with Africa boasting a slightly younger and more productive demographic.
“In 1994, both regions were in low categories of the Human Development Index (HDI), with comparable GDP per capita figures.”
The former Anambra governor noted that China has since progressed to the high HDI category with a GDP per capita of $12,500, while Africa remains in the low HDI category with a GDP per capita of around $2,000.
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“China now enjoys over 90% secondary school enrollment and healthcare access, while Africa lags behind with a 28% enrollment rate and less than 50% healthcare access.
“Sadly, about half of Africa’s population lacks access to medical care,” he said.
Obi emphasised the urgent need for leaders with proven credibility, character, competence, capacity, and compassion to guide Africa toward a brighter future.
He reiterated that responsible governance and accountable leadership are essential to transition Africa from its current state of underdevelopment to a higher level of prosperity.