Dr. Kishore Mahbubani has urged African nations to prepare for a rapidly changing global landscape marked by economic uncertainty, geopolitical shifts, and technological disruption.
Dr. Mahbubani, Distinguished Fellow, Asia Research Institute, emphasised that while the continent faces daunting challenges, it must also position itself to harness emerging opportunities in trade, innovation, and strategic partnerships.
Mahbubani, spoke during a session titled, “Charting the Path for Africa’s Economic Breakthrough Under Global Uncertainties,” on the sidelines of the recent Afreximbank Annual Meetings holding in Abuja, Nigeria, moderated by Ms. Arunma Oteh, Academic, University of Oxford and Former Treasurer, World Bank.
He explained, “We are entering into a cruel world, and we all have to be ready for this cruelty because you could get damaged, you could get hurt. So, it is important for us not to have illusions or delusions. Trust me, with so much growth coming, especially from Asia, there are also magnificent opportunities coming our way. And what we have to do is to learn to be very shrewd and calculative, figuring out where the dangers are and avoiding them, but to see the opportunities and to seize them.
“All these would be a very difficult complex process. Please don’t believe that there are easy choices coming your way. There would be hard choices coming your way. But if you manage these hard choices, you can do very well.”
Responding to a question from Oteh, on the reshaping of the global security, trade, and energy systems, the academic stressed that the world was yet to see the sharper edges of the ongoing geopolitical tension.
“That is because the United States, partly has been trying to focus on China. Many of the strategic thinkers in America think that the biggest challenge is China and that they should be focusing on China. But then as you know, partly because of the European Union’s incompetence, they could have prevented the war in Ukraine, and they are now suffering the consequences of that.”
“Of course, the Middle East. Just when you think things cannot get worse, that is when they get worse in the Middle East. So, that is again another distraction. But it is important not to get distracted by these distractions, because by the end of the day, the main context will always be between the United States and China.
“As you know, the various moves they are making against each other are putting pressure on countries. But I do believe at the same time that to counterbalance it is to develop ties with both the United States and China.”
According to him, to improve trade and investments on the continent, there is a need to “pay attention to details.”
He noted adding that, “it is not just about the big things you do, it is about the little things you do, the regulations, how you manage your borders and so on.”
He narrated the challenges he had when he arrived in Nigeria on a British Airways flight en route to the ongoing conference, stressing that, “if you want to succeed in trade, investments and everything, please don’t pay attention to the big things, pay attention to tiny details.”
Mahbubani, cited the example of Lee Kuan Yew, a former Prime Minister of Singapore, and the role he played in transforming the country.
“Lee Kuan Yew will personally inspect what happens to the visitor when he lands at the airport in Singapore? What does he see as he walks from the plane to Singapore? What is the quality of the toilets? He will check the toilets himself,” Mahbubani added.