Former Nigerian President Foresees Ethiopia Emerging as Africa’s Largest Economy Through Peace, Unity and Stability

Addis Ababa, August 22, 2026 (FMC) — Former Nigerian President and African Union High Representative for the Horn of Africa Olusegun Obasanjo has expressed confidence that sustained peace, unity and stability can propel Ethiopia toward becoming Africa’s largest economy and position it among the world’s developed nations within a generation.

Speaking at the closing ceremony of Ethiopia’s historic National Dialogue Conference in Addis Ababa, Obasanjo said the completion of the 46-day process marked a significant national achievement and an important foundation for Ethiopia’s future.

He congratulated Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and the Ethiopian National Dialogue Commission on the conclusion of the process, which followed four years of preparation and brought together 4,000 participants.

Obasanjo said the National Dialogue was fundamentally aimed at creating the peace, security and stability necessary for Ethiopia’s development and growth, as well as the welfare, well-being and prosperity of all its citizens.

He stressed that lasting peace must be comprehensive and inclusive, creating conditions for common security, stability, predictability, harmony and accelerated prosperity.

“There is no substitute for dialogue for peace,” Obasanjo said, emphasizing that implementation of the dialogue’s outcomes should leave room for the participation of all parts of society, including those who were not represented at the conference but may have contributions to make.

He cautioned that the recommendations emerging from the process would have little value without their effective implementation, stressing that their ultimate purpose should be to advance national unity, cohesion, development, security, inclusion, human dignity and prosperity.

Obasanjo also placed Ethiopia’s peace and stability within a wider regional, continental and global context, emphasizing the importance of shared security, stability and prosperity.

“We should not be an oasis in the midst of a desert,” he said, calling for shared responsibility and prosperity at national, regional, continental and global levels.

He described dialogue as superior to war, conflict and violence and said Ethiopia’s experience represented a historic undertaking and an example for Africa.

Obasanjo further expressed confidence in Ethiopia’s economic prospects, saying that with peace, security, stability and unity, the country could double its GDP within seven years and become Africa’s largest economy, while joining the community of developed nations within a generation.

He urged Ethiopians to leave behind the legacy of conflict, war, violence, insecurity, division, discrimination and destruction, emphasizing that Ethiopia’s strength lies in all of its communities and that every component of the nation matters.

He expressed hope that the completed National Dialogue would lay the foundation for these aspirations and that good governance and principled leadership would translate them into reality.