Africa needs Trade, not Foreign Aid – Governor Mbah Tells London Summit

Governor of Enugu State, Dr. Peter Mbah, has urged African nations to shift their development focus from foreign aid to intra-African trade and regional cooperation.

He made the call while delivering his closing remarks at a session titled “The Africa Opportunity: Regional Collaboration and Trade Facilitation” during the 2025 Commonwealth Enterprises and Investment Summit in London.

Addressing an international audience, Governor Mbah noted that Africa has the capacity to drive its own economic progress, citing its population of 1.3 billion, GDP of $3.4 trillion, and control of 65 per cent of the world’s uncultivated arable land. He said, “We should focus on building our own table, not waiting to be invited to others.”

He described the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) as a vital initiative capable of transforming Africa’s economy. Quoting World Bank figures, Mbah said AfCFTA could lift 30 million Africans out of extreme poverty and increase the continent’s income by $450 billion by 2035. However, he expressed concern that key targets like tariff removal and eliminating non-tariff barriers remain largely unfulfilled.

Governor Mbah also criticized Africa’s low intra-continental trade rate of 14.4 per cent, which he compared to Europe’s 69 per cent and Asia’s 59 per cent. He identified obstacles such as expensive air travel, poor road and rail networks, and the underuse of maritime shipping, all of which he said cost the continent over $4 billion in annual trade losses.

Despite these challenges, Mbah said he remains hopeful, noting that the European Union took over 30 years to form a successful single market. He encouraged African leaders to act boldly by creating unified legal and regulatory systems, investing in transportation and digital infrastructure, and strengthening education to develop human capacity.

Earlier at the summit, Governor Mbah also led the State Governors Roundtable, where he presented Enugu State’s investment potential to global investors and reaffirmed his administration’s dedication to economic growth and international partnerships.