{"id":63673,"date":"2025-11-01T17:45:02","date_gmt":"2025-11-01T17:45:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/lesotho\/all-news\/nepad-leader-calls-for-private-sector-in-africas-growth"},"modified":"2025-11-01T18:42:33","modified_gmt":"2025-11-01T18:42:33","slug":"nepad-leader-calls-for-private-sector-in-africas-growth","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/lesotho\/all-news\/nepad-leader-calls-for-private-sector-in-africas-growth","title":{"rendered":"NEPAD Leader Calls for Private Sector in Africa\u2019S Growth"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"color: #ff6600\"><strong>Africa-Press &#8211; Lesotho. <\/strong><\/span>The Chairman of the NEPAD Business Group Nigeria (NBGN) Mr. J.K. Randle, has called for renewed private sector commitment to Africa\u2019s Transformation, describing the African Continental Free Trade Agreement, (AfCFTA) as the continent\u2019s best opportunity to achieve true economic independence and shared prosperity.<\/p>\n<p>Speaking at a high-level business forum on Mobilising the Private Sector for Africa\u2019s Economic Growth and Development held in Lagos on Thursday, Randle said that the forum was a modest but vital contribution toward ensuring that intra-African trade expands at a sustainable rate, leading to stronger regional integration and inclusive growth.<\/p>\n<p>He described the theme of the event as \u201cboth timely and necessary,\u201d noting that the AfCFTA, one of Africa\u2019s most ambitious undertakings under the African Union\u2019s Agenda 2063 presents a unique chance to convert Africa\u2019s potential into tangible prosperity.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWith a single market of over 1.4 billion people and a combined GDP exceeding 3.4 trillion dollars, the agreement holds the promise of dismantling artificial trade barriers, stimulating industrialization, and boosting Africa\u2019s global competitiveness,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>Citing world-renowned development economist Professor Jeffrey Sachs, Randle emphasized that a fully integrated African economy could rival the economic powerhouses of China and India, potentially reaching a combined GDP of 18 trillion dollars. He, however, warned that such transformation would only be possible if African nations strengthen internal capacities and build resilient economies that can compete sustainably in global markets.<\/p>\n<p>Bashorun Randle anchored his message on the vision of great African leaders such as Nelson Mandela and Patrice Lumumba, reminding the audience that Africa\u2019s destiny is closely tied to Nigeria\u2019s success. \u201cMandela once said the world will not respect Africa until Nigeria earns that respect, and Lumumba reminded us that the day Nigeria wakes up, Africa will never be the same. These truths remain relevant today,\u201d he stated.<\/p>\n<p>He outlined the forum\u2019s objectives to develop actionable strategies that strengthen Africa\u2019s private sector, enhance productivity and expand intra-African trade beyond the current modest levels.<\/p>\n<p>He stressed the need for an enabling business environment, human capital development, and youth empowerment through relevant skills that foster innovation.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSeventy per cent of Africa\u2019s development financing should be mobilised domestically,\u201d Randle said, referencing the African Union\u2019s Agenda 2063.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBut while we take bold steps to actualize the AfCFTA, we must remain alert to external threats such as global economic volatility, tariff wars, geopolitical tensions, and climate-related disruptions that could undermine our progress.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Quoting his professional colleagues, Randle urged African leaders and entrepreneurs to prepare for future disruptions from artificial intelligence and cyber risks to trade fragmentation and climate transitions.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIn a world where disruption is inevitable, resilience is the ultimate advantage. Leadership today must build organizations strong enough to absorb shocks, adaptive enough to transform, and visionary enough to own their future,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>He called for practical, solution-driven discussions that would yield tangible results, urging participants to align strategies, forge partnerships and reaffirm their faith in Nigeria and Africa\u2019s shared destiny.<\/p>\n<p>Randle concluded on an optimistic note, expressing hope that through collective effort, Africa could achieve an integrated market projected to reach 8.7 trillion dollars by 2043 and possibly exceed 12 trillion dollars by 2063.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe road ahead may be challenging,\u201d he said, \u201cbut a prosperous and globally competitive Africa driven by a vibrant Nigerian private sector is well within our reach,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n<p>The event brought together policymakers, business leaders, development agencies and academics from across Africa and beyond.<\/p>\n<p><strong>For More News And Analysis About <span style=\"color: #ff6600\">Lesotho<\/span> Follow <span style=\"color: #ff6600\">Africa-Press<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Africa-Press &#8211; Lesotho. The Chairman of the NEPAD Business Group Nigeria (NBGN) Mr. J.K. Randle, has called for renewed private sector commitment to Africa\u2019s Transformation, describing the African Continental Free Trade Agreement, (AfCFTA) as the continent\u2019s best opportunity to achieve true economic independence and shared prosperity. Speaking at a high-level business forum on Mobilising the [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":84,"featured_media":63672,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,5],"tags":[245],"class_list":["post-63673","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-all-news","category-economy","tag-lesotho"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v26.1 (Yoast SEO v27.0) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>NEPAD Leader Calls for Private Sector in Africa\u2019S Growth - Lesotho<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The Chairman of the NEPAD Business Group Nigeria (NBGN) Mr. J.K. Randle, has called for renewed private sector commitmen ...\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/lesotho\/all-news\/nepad-leader-calls-for-private-sector-in-africas-growth\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"NEPAD Leader Calls for Private Sector in Africa\u2019S Growth\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The Chairman of the NEPAD Business Group Nigeria (NBGN) Mr. J.K. Randle, has called for renewed private sector commitmen ...\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/lesotho\/all-news\/nepad-leader-calls-for-private-sector-in-africas-growth\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Lesotho\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/AfricaPressTunisiaa\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-11-01T17:45:02+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-11-01T18:42:33+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/lesotho\/sites\/62\/2025\/11\/sm_1762009867.62307.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1080\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"675\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"cfeditoren\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"cfeditoren\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/lesotho\/all-news\/nepad-leader-calls-for-private-sector-in-africas-growth#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/lesotho\/all-news\/nepad-leader-calls-for-private-sector-in-africas-growth\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"cfeditoren\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/lesotho\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb\"},\"headline\":\"NEPAD Leader Calls for Private Sector in Africa\u2019S Growth\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-11-01T17:45:02+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-11-01T18:42:33+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/lesotho\/all-news\/nepad-leader-calls-for-private-sector-in-africas-growth\"},\"wordCount\":593,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/lesotho\/all-news\/nepad-leader-calls-for-private-sector-in-africas-growth#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/lesotho\/sites\/62\/2025\/11\/sm_1762009867.62307.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"Lesotho\"],\"articleSection\":[\"all news\",\"economy\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/lesotho\/all-news\/nepad-leader-calls-for-private-sector-in-africas-growth#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/lesotho\/all-news\/nepad-leader-calls-for-private-sector-in-africas-growth\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/lesotho\/all-news\/nepad-leader-calls-for-private-sector-in-africas-growth\",\"name\":\"NEPAD Leader Calls for Private Sector in Africa\u2019S Growth - Lesotho\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/lesotho\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/lesotho\/all-news\/nepad-leader-calls-for-private-sector-in-africas-growth#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/lesotho\/all-news\/nepad-leader-calls-for-private-sector-in-africas-growth#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/lesotho\/sites\/62\/2025\/11\/sm_1762009867.62307.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-11-01T17:45:02+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-11-01T18:42:33+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/lesotho\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb\"},\"description\":\"The Chairman of the NEPAD Business Group Nigeria (NBGN) Mr. J.K. Randle, has called for renewed private sector commitmen ...\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/lesotho\/all-news\/nepad-leader-calls-for-private-sector-in-africas-growth#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/lesotho\/all-news\/nepad-leader-calls-for-private-sector-in-africas-growth\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/lesotho\/all-news\/nepad-leader-calls-for-private-sector-in-africas-growth#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/lesotho\/sites\/62\/2025\/11\/sm_1762009867.62307.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/lesotho\/sites\/62\/2025\/11\/sm_1762009867.62307.jpg\",\"width\":1080,\"height\":675,\"caption\":\"NEPAD Leader Calls for Private Sector in Africa\u2019S Growth\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/lesotho\/all-news\/nepad-leader-calls-for-private-sector-in-africas-growth#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/lesotho\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"NEPAD Leader Calls for Private Sector in Africa\u2019S Growth\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/lesotho\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/lesotho\/\",\"name\":\"Lesotho\",\"description\":\"Just another Africa News Agency Sites site\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/lesotho\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/lesotho\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb\",\"name\":\"cfeditoren\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/lesotho\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/7417380fa9e23b5c57fdbfdaf3fdf92ee478f759a084addda5faa3732853e74a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/7417380fa9e23b5c57fdbfdaf3fdf92ee478f759a084addda5faa3732853e74a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"cfeditoren\"}}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"NEPAD Leader Calls for Private Sector in Africa\u2019S Growth - Lesotho","description":"The Chairman of the NEPAD Business Group Nigeria (NBGN) Mr. J.K. Randle, has called for renewed private sector commitmen ...","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/lesotho\/all-news\/nepad-leader-calls-for-private-sector-in-africas-growth","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"NEPAD Leader Calls for Private Sector in Africa\u2019S Growth","og_description":"The Chairman of the NEPAD Business Group Nigeria (NBGN) Mr. J.K. Randle, has called for renewed private sector commitmen ...","og_url":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/lesotho\/all-news\/nepad-leader-calls-for-private-sector-in-africas-growth","og_site_name":"Lesotho","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/AfricaPressTunisiaa","article_published_time":"2025-11-01T17:45:02+00:00","article_modified_time":"2025-11-01T18:42:33+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1080,"height":675,"url":"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/lesotho\/sites\/62\/2025\/11\/sm_1762009867.62307.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"cfeditoren","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"cfeditoren","Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/lesotho\/all-news\/nepad-leader-calls-for-private-sector-in-africas-growth#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/lesotho\/all-news\/nepad-leader-calls-for-private-sector-in-africas-growth"},"author":{"name":"cfeditoren","@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/lesotho\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb"},"headline":"NEPAD Leader Calls for Private Sector in Africa\u2019S Growth","datePublished":"2025-11-01T17:45:02+00:00","dateModified":"2025-11-01T18:42:33+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/lesotho\/all-news\/nepad-leader-calls-for-private-sector-in-africas-growth"},"wordCount":593,"commentCount":0,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/lesotho\/all-news\/nepad-leader-calls-for-private-sector-in-africas-growth#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/lesotho\/sites\/62\/2025\/11\/sm_1762009867.62307.jpg","keywords":["Lesotho"],"articleSection":["all news","economy"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/lesotho\/all-news\/nepad-leader-calls-for-private-sector-in-africas-growth#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/lesotho\/all-news\/nepad-leader-calls-for-private-sector-in-africas-growth","url":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/lesotho\/all-news\/nepad-leader-calls-for-private-sector-in-africas-growth","name":"NEPAD Leader Calls for Private Sector in Africa\u2019S Growth - Lesotho","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/lesotho\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/lesotho\/all-news\/nepad-leader-calls-for-private-sector-in-africas-growth#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/lesotho\/all-news\/nepad-leader-calls-for-private-sector-in-africas-growth#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/lesotho\/sites\/62\/2025\/11\/sm_1762009867.62307.jpg","datePublished":"2025-11-01T17:45:02+00:00","dateModified":"2025-11-01T18:42:33+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/lesotho\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb"},"description":"The Chairman of the NEPAD Business Group Nigeria (NBGN) Mr. J.K. Randle, has called for renewed private sector commitmen ...","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/lesotho\/all-news\/nepad-leader-calls-for-private-sector-in-africas-growth#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/lesotho\/all-news\/nepad-leader-calls-for-private-sector-in-africas-growth"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/lesotho\/all-news\/nepad-leader-calls-for-private-sector-in-africas-growth#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/lesotho\/sites\/62\/2025\/11\/sm_1762009867.62307.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/lesotho\/sites\/62\/2025\/11\/sm_1762009867.62307.jpg","width":1080,"height":675,"caption":"NEPAD Leader Calls for Private Sector in Africa\u2019S Growth"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/lesotho\/all-news\/nepad-leader-calls-for-private-sector-in-africas-growth#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/lesotho\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"NEPAD Leader Calls for Private Sector in Africa\u2019S Growth"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/lesotho\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/lesotho\/","name":"Lesotho","description":"Just another Africa News Agency Sites site","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/lesotho\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/lesotho\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb","name":"cfeditoren","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/lesotho\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/7417380fa9e23b5c57fdbfdaf3fdf92ee478f759a084addda5faa3732853e74a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/7417380fa9e23b5c57fdbfdaf3fdf92ee478f759a084addda5faa3732853e74a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"cfeditoren"}}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/lesotho\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/63673","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/lesotho\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/lesotho\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/lesotho\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/84"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/lesotho\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=63673"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/lesotho\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/63673\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/lesotho\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/63672"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/lesotho\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=63673"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/lesotho\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=63673"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/lesotho\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=63673"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}