Theresa May, Prime Minister of
the United Kingdom, says Nigeria is the home of the highest number of poor
people in the world.
Speaking in Cape Town, South
Africa, on Tuesday, the Prime Minister said Africa is home to a majority of the
world’s fragile states, and a quarter of the world’s displaced people.
She added that Africa has the
highest number of poor people in the world, stating that 87 million Nigerians
were living below the poverty line of $1 and 90 cents per day.
“Much of Nigeria is thriving, with
many individuals enjoying the fruits of a resurgent economy, yet 87 million
Nigerians live below $1 and 90 cents a day, making it home to more very poor
people than any other nation in the world,” she said.
In June, the Brookings
Institution named Nigeria the poverty capital of the world, overtaking India, a
country with a total population of over 1.3 billion people.
At the time, the Nigerian
government said Nigerians should dismiss the report, considering the fact that
it was compiled when the country was in the throes of its worst economic
recession in 29 years.
May said achieving inclusive
growth is a challenge across the world, adding that Africa needs to create
50,000 new jobs per day to keep employment rate at its current levels till
2035.
The prime minister said she wants
the UK to become the biggest G-7 investor in Africa by 2022, building around
shared prosperity and shared security.
“I am unashamed about the need to
ensure that our aid program works for the UK,” May said, adding that a healthy
African economy is good news for the UK.
“Today I am committing that our
development spending will not only combat extreme poverty, but at the same time
tackle global challenges and support our own national interest.”
“It is in the world’s interest to
see that those jobs are created, to tackle the causes and symptoms of extremism
and instability, to deal with migration flows and to encourage clean growth,”
she added.
The 61-year-old said the UK is
planning to sign a deal with Kenya to ensure the repatriation of stolen Kenyan
funds stuck in the UK.
The UK has one of the biggest
overseas aid programme in the world, expending $18 billion on aid overseas in
2017 alone.
Theresa May will be visiting
Nigeria later this week.
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