Blame it on Africa’s poverty rate on conflicts —Teneilabe

LAGOS — THE Consul General of Nigeria in Atlanta, Ambassador Geoffrey Teneilabe, has said that the current escalation of conflicts in Africa is responsible for the increasing poverty rate in the country. He specifically noted that conflict does not only breed poverty, adding that it creates insecurity that scares investors away. Teneilibe, who said this in Pittsburgh regretted that the rise of terrorist groups like Boko Haram, Al-Shabaab and Al Qaeda in the Magreb, had constituted a challenge to the fight against poverty in Africa. He spoke in his capacity as the guest speaker at the first Africa Leadership Series convened by the Pan African Graduate and Professional Student Union of the University of Pittsburgh. His words: “The rise of terrorist groups like Boko Haram in Nigeria, Al-Shabaab in Mali and Al Qaeda in the Magreb has equally contributed to the rise of poverty in Africa. Conflicts do not only breed poverty, they also create insecurity. Similarly, it drives away investors who otherwise would have invested to grow the economy. “Over the decades, the combination of African States, United Nations Agencies such as UNDP, UNICEF, the World Bank, African regional and continental bodies such as African Development Bank, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the African Union as well as philanthropic organisations have individually or collectively fought poverty in Africa. “Part of the strides to fighting poverty in Africa is the fact that virtually all African countries have undertaken painful privatization/commercialization exercises at various times with a view to transferring state owned businesses to the private sector for ownership, higher productivity and creation of more employment.” He however called for prudence in the management of resources so as to address the poverty rate.