VP. Shettima Urges Africa to Build Homegrown Wealth, Shift from Aid to Investment

Vice President Kashim Shettima has called on African countries to abandon dependency on foreign aid and imports, urging a decisive shift toward local production, investment, and industrial capacity as the pathway to sustainable prosperity.

Speaking at the High-Level Accra Reset Initiative on the sidelines of the 2026 World Economic Forum Annual Meeting in Davos, Shettima stressed that Africa’s future prosperity must be “homegrown and earned,” not imported. He described the continent as the emerging pulse of global demographic and economic growth rather than a peripheral player.

Highlighting Nigeria’s Dangote Refinery as a symbol of Africa’s industrial potential, the Vice President noted that the project demonstrates what is possible when African capital meets long-term ambition. He said Nigeria is on the brink of becoming a net exporter of refined petroleum products after decades of dependence on imports.

Shettima further advocated the adoption of modular factories, artificial intelligence, and robotics to accelerate industrialisation across the continent. According to him, Africa can industrialise faster in the 21st century by leapfrogging traditional development stages and embracing modern technologies.

He also underscored the importance of human capital and diaspora remittances, revealing that Africans abroad sent home about $95 billion in 2024 an amount comparable to total foreign direct investment. Shettima concluded by calling for free movement across Africa, describing mobility as a competitive advantage in a knowledge-driven global economy.