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Renowned Pan-African scholar and governance advocate, Prof. Patrick Lumumba, has urged the Delta State Government to look beyond local development and position the state as a globally competitive industrial and investment hub capable of driving Africa’s economic transformation.
Speaking at the Delta State Economic and Investment Summit 2026, Lumumba acknowledged the progress made under Governor Sheriff Oborevwori but said Delta must measure its achievements against global standards rather than neighbouring states if it is to unlock its full economic potential.
He said the state has the natural resources, skilled workforce and economic capacity needed to compete internationally but stressed that sustained growth would depend on industrialisation, research, reliable electricity, innovation and stronger integration with African markets.
“The question is, with all the resources that we have, whether we are talking about agriculture, whether we are talking about minerals, whether we are talking about oil, whether we are talking about pharmaceutical sectors, whether we are talking about the blue economy, what are we doing that is keeping with the demands of the 21st century?”
Lumumba also encouraged Delta to take advantage of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) by positioning itself as a centre for manufacturing and industrial production instead of relying heavily on oil revenue.
He criticised the tendency of African governments to focus on foreign investors while overlooking investment opportunities within the continent.
“It is deeply tragic that in our interpretation and understanding of who an investor is in the continent of Africa, we still don’t think that fellow Africans are investors. We think, and allow me to be blunt, that our investors must be Malaysians. We think that our investors must be Brazilians. We think that our investors must be Chinese. That is not the case.”
The Pan-African scholar called for greater participation by African investors at future investment summits and urged governments to remove barriers to the free movement of Africans to strengthen trade and regional integration.
He also challenged Delta State to become a model for other states and the rest of Africa.
“You are entitled to celebrate what is happening here in Delta. But it must be a contagious positive thing. You must contaminate Anambra that they do the same thing. You must contaminate other neighbors. And ultimately, you must contaminate the federal government.”
Lumumba further stressed that investment in research, education and skills development is essential to industrial growth, describing reliable electricity as the foundation of economic development.
“You can talk development all you want. But if you don’t have energy, you are going nowhere.”
He concluded by urging the state to sustain its momentum through visionary leadership focused on long-term competitiveness.
“Delta looks promising. Keep it that way. Make it even better. Think beyond yourselves, bearing in mind that you are not truly successful until your successor also succeeds.”
