Vice President Yemi Osinbajo warned that the lingering crisis between Russia and Ukraine should serve as a wake‑up call for African states to prioritize self‑sufficiency in food production. Speaking to a large audience of academics, scholars, researchers, faculty and students at the Africa Leadership Centre, King’s College London, he emphasized that digitisation remains Africa’s best opportunity to make considerable progress on the global stage. “The economic fallout of the war for us in Africa should be an introspective moment on the issue of self‑sufficiency in food production,” Osinbajo said. Senior Special Assistant to the Vice President on Media and Publicity, Laolu Akande, disclosed the remarks in a statement titled “How Africa can prosper in an increasingly complex world, by Osinbajo.”
Addressing the Russian‑Ukrainian conflict, Osinbajo noted that beyond its impact on international peace and security, the war signals a breakdown of the post‑World‑War‑II global order—a source of concern for many African countries that must now navigate delicately between major powers. The more immediate fallout, he explained, is the sharp rise in prices of essential commodities such as wheat, sunflower oil, fuel and fertilizer. Many African nations depend heavily on one or both warring parties for food and oil. “When the conflict began in February 2022, the price of wheat increased by 67 percent from December 2021. Oil prices similarly went through the roof. The international price of oil averaged $100 per barrel in 2022, compared with about $70 per barrel in 2021,” the Vice President said. Higher oil prices have also driven up the cost of manufactured products, as key manufacturing countries are oil importers.
These price shocks and supply‑chain disruptions have spurred high inflation across Africa at a time when most countries are still grappling with the economic and social fallout of the COVID‑19 pandemic, including debt and foreign‑currency crises. Osinbajo commended the recent peace proposal by Brazil’s President Luiz Lula da Silva, which suggests a “peace club” possibly led by China to seek an end to the crisis. “I think that sort of thinking is the way to go. The world must find parties that can be trusted by both sides to intervene,” he said.
Turning to solutions, Osinbajo argued that Africa can change its fortunes by leveraging digitalisation. “There is a strong conviction that digitalisation offers the best opportunity for leap‑frogging,” he asserted. Digital technologies are already being deployed across the continent to provide solutions in agriculture, education, fintech and healthcare, as well as in logistics, transport, smart housing and smart power grids. He cited the story of mobile telephony, which has become the platform for everyday digital use in Africa, noting that the continent now accounts for about half of the world’s mobile‑money accounts and is ahead of other regions in fintech and payments solutions. Moreover, an increasing number of African countries are adopting AI‑enabled surveillance technologies, such as facial‑recognition systems, to monitor and respond to crime.
The lecture was moderated by Professor Funmi Olonisakin, Vice President (International Engagement & Service), after a question‑and‑answer session that featured Professor Rachel Mills, Senior Vice President (Academics), and Professor Abiodun Alao, a professor of African Studies at the college. Accompanying the Vice President were senior government officials led by Nigeria’s High Commissioner to the United Kingdom, Ambassador Sarafa Tunji Isola.
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