President Tinubu Urges African Leaders To Combat Talent Drain

President Bola Tinubu has urged African leaders to focus more on actions to address the loss of skills and talent from Africa.

Speaking at a dinner in his honor at the People's Palace in Malabo, Equatorial Guinea, the president -- who was on a three-day official visit -- emphasized the need to support research and development by offering suitable rewards.

"Why are we complaining about healthcare problems if our doctors cannot have a home in our continent? If our nurses are faced with destitution, and if our judicial system is archaic?" he questioned, as per the official State House website.

Tinubu emphasized that Africa's development will start when the continent begins to seek solutions internally. He noted that tribalism has no place in Africa and called for strengthening the continent through peace and mutual support.

The president urged the need to develop local resources and focus on research and development, while stressing that Africa should produce results on its own without outsourcing or selling them.

"To the international organizations, we are partners. We will continue to be partners, but we must implement more than half of the results of the research established here. We have many youths to take care of. Millions yearning for progress," Tinubu said.

Tinubu thanked President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo for inviting him to visit Malabo. He described Africa as one big family, adding that countries on the continent were closely connected and needed to support each other.

The Nigerian president noted that the meeting was an important event for Africa, especially for West and Central Africa and praised Mbasogo for his insightful thoughts about the continent.

"For the world, Africa is wretched and ragged, full of conflicts. We say no. Peace, stability, and democracy are the way forward for our collective and progressive development," he added.

The president of Equatorial Guinea also spoke during the event and thanked Tinubu for accepting his invitation for the visit. He went on to urge for increased collaboration and solidarity between the two countries, noting that "Nigeria has always held a special place in our foreign policy."

Mbasogo acknowledged Nigeria's potential and experience as Africa's largest economy since 2015 and called Nigeria as a major emerging global market. Ahead of this event, Tinubu and Mbasogo signed an agreement on the Gulf of Guinea Gas Pipeline Project.