Donald Trump’s inauguration speech: Lessons for Africa

their role in a globalized world instead of being idiotically romantic about globalization in which we are always the losers with closed factories and massive job losses to the bargain while others are the gainers. The new American president spoke of ‘American carnage’ and painted a dark picture of the US, and calls for total allegiance to the United States of America. So bad and so good for him! But it is also an open knowledge that in the 21st century, United States of America is the only one country “that rivals the world’s once-great empires in terms of its global impact”. There is “no denying its presence in factories in America.

I counted a number of word; ‘JOBS’. He talked of “rusted-out factories scattered like tombstones across the landscape of our nation; an education system, flush with cash, but which leaves our young and beautiful students deprived of all knowledge; and the crime and the gangs and the drugs that have stolen too many lives and robbed our country of so much unrealized potential”.

Pray when last did you read a Nigerian/African leader bemoaning hitherto functioning Industrial estate turned into instant “prosperity churches”, industrial cities without electricity, sorry with climate damaging generators mass of millions of decent jobs that have been relocated to China and neighboring West African countries? The same day, Trump took office and eager to relook at International trade deals America signed under Obama, Nigeria in Davos, Switzerland, went ahead to ratify another Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA) of the World Trade Organisation (WTO), making it the 107th WTO member to do so.

Pray, what goods do Nigeria export through international trade such that it uncritically signed new agreements that in all probability would turn Nigerian economy into a dumping ground for cheaper imports?

The country’s instrument of acceptance was reportedly submitted to the WTO by the Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Mr Okechukwu Enelamah, to the WTO Director-General, Roberto Azevado, on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos with the sweet heart promise that “It would also reduce the time to import goods by over a day and a half, while also reducing time to export by almost two days”. At the time President Buhari is mouthing import substitution, another uncritical trade facilitation undermines domestic production, puts pressures on limited foreign exchange and above all kill remaining industries and deny much needed jobs.

I agree with Trump (if only it applies to Abuja!) that; “For too long, a small group in our nation’s Capital has reaped the rewards of government while the people have borne the cost .... Politicians prospered but the jobs left, and the factories closed.”