Foremost entrepreneur and Founder of the Lagos Business
School, Professor Pat Utomi, has said if the private sector must thrive in
Nigeria and West Africa, governments in the region must begin a conscious
investment in peace and security of the region...
Utomi, who spoke at the opening
of the ongoing two-day conference on leveraging the power of the private sector
in conflict prevention in West Africa, identified a zero mindset as a factor
responsible for most of the conflicts ravaging most countries in the region.
Pat Utomi Similarly, the Economic Community of West African States, ECOWAS, called
on the private sector to be fully involved in peace initiatives within the
sub-region, noting that outside the loss of lives of people during conflicts,
businesses and investors suffer more. ADVERTISING inRead invented by Teads The
conference is sponsored by ECOWAS in conjunction with the German Department for
Foreign Investment, GIZ. Utomi raises the alarm Utomi warned that if something
was not done urgently, the nation and the entire sub-region can descend into
anarchy. His words: “Politicians were doing things wrong, but we were too
comfortable to speak. Until we all get involved, the price is paid by everyone.
“And If we do nothing, the region could descend into anarchy. Everybody has a
duty to invest into the future to prevent anarchy.” In a goodwill message, Head
of Programme, GIZ Support Programme to the ECOWAS Commission, Ludwig Kirchner,
noted that since the private sector seemed to be more at the receiving end of
most conflicts, it was pertinent for them to come together in identifying what
they could contribute in enthroning peace in the region.
No comments: