…Full Text of Speech At His Investiture As the Patron at the University of Wolverhampton, UK

The National Leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and Former Governor of Lagos State, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, has said good leadership is the key to unlocking the economic potentials of Africa.

The political leader said this while delivering his remarks at the formal launch of the Centre for African Entrepreneurship and Leadership (CAEL) and his investiture as the Patron at the University of Wolverhampton, United Kingdom, on Monday, 30th November, 2015. He was represented at the event by his wife, Senator Oluremi Tinubu and the event had about eight Nigerian senators in attendance including Gbenga Ashafa, Adeola Solomon, Marafa Buhari and Ajayi Boroffice.

According to a press release by the university, the CAEL aims to build knowledge and capacity in Africa as well as provide research and policy development.

CAEL provides short courses and executive and doctoral training in the UK and Africa and also develops academic partnerships with African universities – these include the University of Addis Ababa in Ethiopia, the University of Maiduguri, College of Education Minna and Bayero University Kano in Nigeria – and it focuses on developing sustainable schemes to support SMEs, graduate and youth employment.

In his speech to the august audience, Tinubu said Africa is ready to grow its commerce and industry but needs visionary leadership to follow through.

“Africa is now, more than ever, primed for economic growth and productive partnerships,” he said. “Citizens have become more aware and more engaged in the process of choosing their own leaders. They are dismantling undemocratic structures that have held them back far too long. African economies are increasingly becoming more rational and focused on identifying what shall be their critical path to development. They are seeking to be integrated into the global economy but according to their own definitions of their own benefit and interests. This will provide opportunities for businesses to grow and flourish and for those investors willing to harmonize their interests with those of a more independently-minded Africa.

“Visionary, yet practical, leadership is essential to this process. National leadership must establish the right policies, provide the necessary infrastructure and create the enabling institutional environment under which ambitious entrepreneurs can become productive. Without economically astute leaders, entrepreneurial development is significantly hindered and limited. And without democracy, responsive leadership is a rarity almost impossible to come by.”

The party leader said his passion for visionary and disciplined leadership is why he has invested a considerable portion of his adult life to mentoring new leaders who can create opportunities for Africans to reach their full potentials. He said he is content to see many of those he worked with excelling and inspiring others.

Tinubu praised the entrepreneurial spirit of Africans and highlighted the nexus between small businesses and the progress of the continent.

“African progress hinges on our ability to wed democratic good governance with innovative entrepreneurship in Africa. Entrepreneurs are very important any economy, to the growth of African economies especially. They own the small to medium scale businesses that employ the bulk of the work force. They create wealth and provide essential goods and services. They can also form the cutting edge of innovative. They are the major agents leading us from poverty alleviation to poverty eradication and toward economic growth,” he said.

Tinubu thanked the CAEL for its commitment and sincerity in establishing the Centre and seeking the betterment of Africa. He lauded the Centre’s initiatives for promoting entrepreneurship and democratic governance in Africa.

“I have no choice but to support the Centre for it is doing what I believe it should do,” he said in conclusion. “Thus, I have no reservation accepting my nomination as the Patron of the Centre. I am honoured to do so. I thank the University for nominating me. I am confident that the University through the Centre can achieve greater things through the vision of its founders – ‘with Africans and for the true benefit of Africa.’”

Full Speech Below:

Leadership and Enterprenuership Education-Critical Pillars of Wealth Creation In Africa

Remarks of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu on the occasion of the formal launch of the Centre for African Entrepreneurship and Leadership (CAEL) and his Investiture as the Patron at the University of Wolverhampton, United Kingdom
30th November, 2015
My Right Worshipful The Mayor of Wolverhampton,
Councillor Ian Brookfield
The Vice Chancellor, Professor Geoff Layer OBE
Members of the University’s Governing Board,
Excellencies, both sitting and former Governors and Honourable Members
Distinguished Senators from Nigeria and Hon. Members of the House of Representatives
Distinguished Member of the Business Community and Vice Chancellors
Ladies and gentlemen
(Offer of Apologies on behalf of my husband and National Leader of Nigeria’s governing Party, APC. Unavoidably absent because of the death of a gubernatorial candidate on election day and the unprecedented complex of legal and political considerations arising from this sad occurrence)

I am delighted to be here for the formal launch of the Centre for African Entrepreneurship and Leadership at the University of Wolverhampton set as they are in the heart of the England. Yet , I can tell by your commitment and sincerity in establishing this Centre that your hearts and minds are with Africa and the betterment of its people. The Centre’s initiatives promoting entrepreneurship and democratic governance in Africa are laudable and much needed.
Your present contributions to Africa persuaded me that we can work together for the good of the future. We are fellow travellers on the same road for we head to the same objective – the development of Africa for the benefit of Africans. As fate would have it, that road has led me to the fine city of Wolverhampton and to the halls of this esteemed institution. That is why I am here today.
For too long and by too many people, Africa had been viewed as a hapless continent marred by poverty and trapped in conflicts spawned by decades of dictatorship and poor governance. Africa was depicted as an orphaned place, abandoned by progress, peace and prosperity. The continent was alternatively viewed as an object of pity and scorn. Often, Africans were treated as passive, unthinking players in our own lives if not squatters on our own land.
Those foreign governments, companies and organizations fixated as they were solely on their own self interests felt no compunction in doing things “to” Africa. Even those organisations and governments with good intentions were often guilty of trying to do things for Africa, without due consideration and discourse with Africans about what we wanted and how we wanted to go about achieving it.
This later approach was a marked improvement over the malign indifference and often outright repression of previous eras. This more benign policy yielded some results, especially during humanitarian crises where urgent and short-term assistance have made significant difference. However, history and empirical evidence reveal that these top-down bilateral and multi-lateral assistance approaches did not live up to their advanced billing. They fell far short of what they promised and definitely do not address the best aspirations of a new generation in an emergent Africa.

Today, poverty and conflict continue to impede our way forward. We see the effect of terrorist conflicts in Africa; in my very own country, the evil of Boko Haram has scarred the social and economic landscape of our northeastern region. The no-nonsense policies of President Buhari have placed boko haram on the defensive and our new government is committed to ending this vile scourge. However, we must do more than rid our nation of this horrid enterprise. We must repair what has been broken. Return home and rebuild homes for the now displaced. Rebuild schools for the children and bring economic activity and the chance for prosperity where there has only been poverty and despair. Your Centre has done significant entrepreneurship work in this troubled region. This is bold and commendable. I am here to applaud this work but to encourage you to expand and broaden it that it touches the lives of many more of our youth who simply want a chance at a decent life and livelihood.
The recent events in Paris remind us that boko haram is an aspect of a violent global phenomenon. All who believe in the enlightened progress of mankind must unite in partnership to tackle the root causes of violent extremism. We must battle poverty, intolerance, illiteracy and the alienation born of the lack of access to opportunity.
3. In recent years, I can see a discernible shift in the paradigm of engagement with Africa. The language of paternalism now yields to the spirit of partnership. Governments and organizations turn from what they can do “to” and “for” Africa to what they can do “with” Africa.
With the right partnerships, Africans can bring unprecedented progress to the Continent. As recent elections in places like Nigeria electing president Buhari and in guinea with eh re-election of professor Alpha Conde, visionary Africans are spearheading progressive reform founded on democratic values and equitable economic principles. We have the ability to lift millions from poverty, establish peace in the region, and propel the continent to its proper seat in the council of nations.
As the ‘University of Opportunity’, the University of Wolverhampton has commendably lent itself to this new era of partnership. Wolverhampton has established knowledge exchange partnerships with institutions and governments in Africa. Through the Centre for African Entrepreneurship and Leadership, the university has invested in the vital area of entrepreneurship education. The centre now provides executive training for senior executives in the African Higher Education sector. It is also engaged with numerous African universities with entrepreneurship centres, teaching thousands of students the skills needed to make their own way in society. The centre’s work in research and doctoral training will continue to impact communities in Africa for years to come. Its vision and focus on entrepreneurship and good governance in Africa are timely and worthy of support.
5. Historically, enterprise and creative economic activity is nothing new to Africans. Over the millennia between the 5th and 15th century, a succession of powerful kingdoms in West Africa created great wealth and prosperity by means of trade and cooperation rather than a focus on conquest . Similarly, ancient Ethiopia bordered one of that era’s great centres of commerce, the Red Sea, engaging actively in trade with countries as far as Persia, Saudi Arabia, India and China . Today, even amid the struggle against poverty, the distress of wars, and the challenge of geography and climate change, African entrepreneurs are trying to make things happen. Against the odds, the farmer is trying to produce more and make profit, the artisan is trying to create new products with improved methods, and the trader is trying to locate new markets and opportunities.
6. However, the African entrepreneur must now function in a globalised economy, under acutely competitive terms of engagement. In technology and innovation, African entrepreneurs must play a quick game of catch up. They are not on equal footing with Western counterparts who have attained competitive advantages through innovative methods and processes. In terms of generation of knowledge and skills, the African entrepreneur is operating from a point of disadvantage. They must embrace new knowledge and acquire innovative skills to organise and manage their enterprise in the 21st century. To achieve these objectives, Africans need entrepreneurship education suited to the times and terms of the twenty first century. They must move from entrepreneurship of bare necessity and abject survival to a more productive form. Entrepreneurship education is a critical pillar in the strategy for poverty alleviation and wealth creation in Africa. It is the instrument by which the petty trader can be transformed into dynamic and well informed venture owner. It is the channel by which the self-employed can become employers of labour. It is the means by which those seeking to eke out the barest livelihood for themselves can became catalysts of prosperity, jobs and sustainable economic activity in their communities.
7. It is important to recognise that none of this is possible without the solid foundations of democracy and the rule of law. For many years, Africa’s progress was abbreviated by the lack of democratic, responsive governance. In such environments, no form of innovation, entrepreneurial or otherwise, could thrive. In the absence of democratic institutions and democratic values of freedom, association and opposition, Africa risked being tethered to poverty, conflict and despair.
8. Thankfully, today we can celebrate the steady advance of progressive democracy and economic reform in Africa. The momentum may not be linear and may come in fits and starts but it is unstoppable. Many African countries operate multi-party democracies, elections are becoming fairer and economies more robust and providing more chances for the average person.
9. As a democrat who fought against military dictatorships, I appreciate the precious still fragile gains of democratic governance. Because of the momentum of democracy and rule of law, Africa is now, more than ever, primed for economic growth and productive partnerships. Citizens have become more aware and more engaged in the process of choosing their own leaders. They are dismantling undemocratic structures that have held them back far too long. African economies are increasingly becoming more rational and focused on identifying what shall be their critical path to development. They are seeking to be integrated into the global economy but according to their own definitions of their own benefit and interests. This will provide opportunities for businesses to grow and flourish and for those investors willing to harmonize their interests with those of a more independently-minded Africa.
10. Visionary yet practical leadership is essential to this process. National leadership must establish the right policies, provide the necessary infrastructure and create the enabling institutional environment under which ambitious entrepreneurs can become productive. Without economically astute leaders, entrepreneurial development is significantly hindered and limited. And without democracy, responsive leadership is a rarity almost impossible to come by.
Visionary and disciplined leadership in Africa is one thing I am passionate about. I have invested much of my adult life to mentoring new leaders who can create opportunities for citizens to exercise and actualise their full potentials. I am gratified to see how many of those whom I have worked with have excelled and have gone on to inspire others to embrace the model of selfless, result-oriented leadership. I am inspired by how democratic values and principles create the condition for individuals to access opportunities to better their lives and the lives of others.
11. In conclusion, African progress hinges on our ability to wed democratic good governance with innovative entrepreneurship in Africa. Entrepreneurs are very important any economy, to the growth of African economies especially. They own the small to medium scale businesses that employ the bulk of the work force. They create wealth and provide essential goods and services. They can also form the cutting edge of innovative. They are the major agents leading us from poverty alleviation to poverty eradication and toward economic growth.
The Centre for African Entrepreneurship and Leadership has affixed itself to this objective, focusing on the critical issues of leadership and entrepreneurship. Given my antecedents, I have no choice but to support the Centre for it is doing what I believe it should do. Thus, I have no reservation accepting my nomination as the Patron of the Centre. I am honoured to do so. I thank the University for nominating me. I am confident that the University through the Centre can achieve greater things through the vision of its founders – ‘with Africans and for the true benefit of Africa. When history rights its final account, may it be that this university and this Centre played an important and proper role in the revival of entrepreneurship, democracy, prosperity and development of the African continent.
Thank you all!