At a moment when the global economy is seeking fresh engines of growth, Nigeria’s Minister of State for Finance, Dr. Doris Uzoka-Anite has delivered a resounding message to the world: “Africa’s time is now — and it’s powered by entrepreneurs.”
In a powerful address at the Legatum Centre for Development and Entrepreneurship at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Dr. Uzoka-Anite challenged investors and policymakers to look beyond Silicon Valley and turn their focus to a new frontier of innovation — Africa.
At the heart of this shift, she said, stands Nigeria, with its youthful population, thriving tech sector, and a surge in entrepreneurial momentum.
The Director of Information and Public Relations, Muhammed Manga in a statement issued on Tuesday quoted her thus,
“The next billion-dollar companies are already taking root on African soil,” she declared. “Come. See. Build with us.”
Her remarks come on the heels of unprecedented fundraising by Nigerian startups — more than the entire West African region combined in 2022 — and landmark successes like Flutterwave and Paystack.
But Dr. Uzoka-Anite warned that the celebration of unicorns must not blind investors to a deeper challenge: a misalignment of capital with Africa’s real economic engines — agriculture, processing, retail, and informal enterprises that employ millions.
“We can not eat artificial intelligence,” she cautioned, urging a bold shift in how potential is recognised and how impact is measured. “If we continue to overlook the sectors that feed, clothe, and employ our people, we will build economies that exclude the majority.”
Underpinning her call was a vision of entrepreneurship as inclusive prosperity — one that embraces local languages, informal markets, and “messy” innovation.
She called for new investment models that normalise failure, value resilience, and expand access to underserved entrepreneurs.
Backed by national reforms such as the Nigeria Startup Act, digital economy policies, and strategic funding mechanisms, Dr. Uzoka-Anite says Nigeria is laying the groundwork for long-term, grassroots-led growth. But international partnership, she stressed, is essential.
“We need global capital that is patient, intentional, and impact-driven,” she said. “Together, we can shift the global innovation map — and this time, Africa will be on it.”
As geopolitical shifts, youth demographics, and digital transformation converge, Dr. Uzoka-Anite’s message lands at a pivotal moment: Africa is no longer waiting to be discovered — it is ready to lead.
