Chairman of the Senate Committees on Trade and Investment, and Rules and Business, Senator Sadiq Suleiman Umar, has urged African youth to take the lead in driving the continent’s economic growth through trade, innovation and leadership under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
Speaking at the 2025 Africa and the Middle East Senate Association (AMESA) Summit hosted by Junior Chamber International (JCI) Nigeria Senate Association in Abuja, Umar said Africa’s youthful population is a critical asset that must be harnessed to unlock prosperity.
“With over 60% of Africa’s 1.4 billion people under the age of 25, and by 2035 more people joining the workforce annually than the rest of the world combined, the AfCFTA is not just a policy document, it is a call to action,” he said.
The senator lamented that intra-African trade remains only 15% of total trade, compared to 68% in Europe and 59% in Asia, but cited World Bank projections that AfCFTA could lift 30 million Africans out of poverty and raise incomes by $450 billion by 2035.
Highlighting Nigeria’s leadership role, Umar said: “With a population of over 220 million, a vibrant entrepreneurial ecosystem, and abundant resources, Nigeria is strategically positioned to lead Africa’s economic transformation.” He also pointed to President Bola Tinubu’s reforms in the digital economy, infrastructure and trade facilitation.
He called for stronger collaboration in agriculture, renewable energy, technology and infrastructure, stressing that trade should be seen as “the exchange of ideas, opportunities and hope.”
Also speaking, AfDB Lead Economist for West Africa, Jacob Oduor, warned that Africa’s growing youth population could become a “ticking time bomb” if not empowered with jobs and skills.
JCI Nigeria Senate Chairperson and AMESA 2025 host, Senator Dupe Ogunbiyi, emphasized that Africa’s challenge is not lack of policies but weak implementation, adding that leadership and partnerships remain crucial to driving change.
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