The Odum of Ala Igbo
Hail Biafra!
Hey y'all.
Decided to start the second Afro-Geopolitics thread. I was really busy with school and work so I only really had time to start the thread on Nigeria (and the wider region of West Africa) now.
Observations:
1. It's important to remember that the state has over 160 million people and is the most populous country in Africa.
2. It's also the largest economy in Africa by Gross Domestic Product. 2013 GDP was $521.8 Billion in 2013.
3. However, Nigeria hasn't been able to reach its potential since the early 1980's oil crash.
4. 70 per cent of its population lives below the poverty line of $1 a day. That's over 112 million people.
5. This has occurred in spite of its vast wealth of resources in terms of oil and natural gas.
6. Nigerian natural gas could not only power its industrialization but also power West Africa which is extremely energy deficient. Nigeria has severe issues with electrification which hamper growth and socio-economic indicators.
7. Nigeria has large amounts of agricultural potential (it's one of the most arable countries in the world) but this has been underutilized due to Dutch Disease.
8. It's manufacturing output is only starting to rise after a steep decline in the past three decades. The billionaire industrialist Dangote is getting involved in changing this context but there are risks of monopolistic industrial growth and import bans which harm domestic consumers.
9. The country is riven apart by ethnic, religious and regional conflicts. The most noticeable currently are the war against Boko Haram, the Niger Delta Conflict and the struggle against Biafran separatists.
10. Also, the Nigerian economy is in bad shape due to the decline of oil prices and the economic policies of current President Muhammadu Buhari's. His administration is showing signs of incompetence and willingness to use extra-legal means to get his way (ex. killing of over 700 Shi'ites in December 2015).
11. Nigeria has entered an Islamic Coalition with Saudi Arabia and is cooperating with its strategic rival, France, more and more as its pulled into the geopolitics of the Sahel because of the Boko Haram War.
West Africa and Africa's future needs Nigeria to pull itself together, curb the growth of extreme poverty and corruption, create infrastructure, educate its populace and get its resources out of the ground and to start industrializing.
My observations are few because there is so much to talk about. Let's get started.
@Poitier @KidStranglehold @bdizzle
Please tag others onto this thread, please.
Decided to start the second Afro-Geopolitics thread. I was really busy with school and work so I only really had time to start the thread on Nigeria (and the wider region of West Africa) now.
Observations:
1. It's important to remember that the state has over 160 million people and is the most populous country in Africa.
2. It's also the largest economy in Africa by Gross Domestic Product. 2013 GDP was $521.8 Billion in 2013.
3. However, Nigeria hasn't been able to reach its potential since the early 1980's oil crash.
4. 70 per cent of its population lives below the poverty line of $1 a day. That's over 112 million people.
5. This has occurred in spite of its vast wealth of resources in terms of oil and natural gas.
6. Nigerian natural gas could not only power its industrialization but also power West Africa which is extremely energy deficient. Nigeria has severe issues with electrification which hamper growth and socio-economic indicators.
7. Nigeria has large amounts of agricultural potential (it's one of the most arable countries in the world) but this has been underutilized due to Dutch Disease.
8. It's manufacturing output is only starting to rise after a steep decline in the past three decades. The billionaire industrialist Dangote is getting involved in changing this context but there are risks of monopolistic industrial growth and import bans which harm domestic consumers.
9. The country is riven apart by ethnic, religious and regional conflicts. The most noticeable currently are the war against Boko Haram, the Niger Delta Conflict and the struggle against Biafran separatists.
10. Also, the Nigerian economy is in bad shape due to the decline of oil prices and the economic policies of current President Muhammadu Buhari's. His administration is showing signs of incompetence and willingness to use extra-legal means to get his way (ex. killing of over 700 Shi'ites in December 2015).
11. Nigeria has entered an Islamic Coalition with Saudi Arabia and is cooperating with its strategic rival, France, more and more as its pulled into the geopolitics of the Sahel because of the Boko Haram War.
West Africa and Africa's future needs Nigeria to pull itself together, curb the growth of extreme poverty and corruption, create infrastructure, educate its populace and get its resources out of the ground and to start industrializing.
My observations are few because there is so much to talk about. Let's get started.
@Poitier @KidStranglehold @bdizzle
Please tag others onto this thread, please.
Last edited:
