Dr. Chris Brooks, the co-Founder and Managing Partner of Brown Venture Group, United States, says Africa will gain respect when Nigeria takes its rightful place at world economy.
Brooks was the keynote speaker at the ongoing 2022 Nigeria Diaspora Investment Summit (NDIS) at the State House Conference Centre, Presidential Villa, Abuja.
The summit has as its theme: “Optimising Investment Opportunities for National Development.”
It was organised by Nigeria Diaspora Commision (NiDCOM) and in partnership with Nigerian Diaspora Summit Initiative (NDSI).
Dr. Brooks whose keynote address was centered on “Prospect and Challenges of Investing in Start-ups in Emerging Economies”, said the modern world was entering the African era.
According to him, the world is changing rapidly, and Africa is rising once again.
“At this moment in world history, one question we must ask ourselves, especially as Nigerians, is what is our role as the largest black nation on planet earth ?.
“President Nelson Mandela famously said that the world will not respect Africa until Nigeria earns that respect.
” The black people of the world need Nigeria to be great as a source of pride
and confidence.”
“I deeply agree with this statement. I would add that the world will not respect Black People until Nigeria takes its rightful place as one of the most powerful global economies on the planet.
“We live in a moment where Nigeria has the unique opportunity to lead in a way that no other African nation can, although every African nation has unique strengths and resources to bring to the table.
“I submit that the world needs Nigeria’s leadership, unlike ever before. We stand on the hinge of history, and Nigeria possesses the natural economic, intellectual, and human resources to profoundly and permanently shape the trajectory of the world that our descendants will inherit,” he said.
He further added that the image of God was equally distributed among the human population; there was nothing left to debate about the genius and capabilities of African people and people of African descent.
“We are amazing, we are successful, we are beautiful, anybody who would say different things is deceiving or lying, or both.
“There is an Ethiopian proverb that says that when spiders unite, they can tie up a lion. Africa unite,” he said.(NAN)