ABUJA/Nigeria: Senator Ned Munir Nwoko has advocated for the creation of a unified African currency and a common language as critical steps toward transforming Africa’s economic and cultural landscape.
Speaking during a power room session titled “The Africa We See,” hosted by Elevate Africa at Transcorp Hilton on Friday night, Senator Nwoko emphasized how these initiatives could reshape Africa’s future.
“We don’t need the dollar, we don’t need euros. What we need is an African currency that will enable us to trade among ourselves,” Nwoko declared, highlighting the detrimental impact of reliance on foreign currencies. He argued that depending on the U.S. dollar and the euro stifles intra-African trade and curtails the continent’s economic potential.
As a billionaire businessman and chairman of the Senate Committee on Reparations and Repatriation, Nwoko reiterated that a single African currency would streamline trade, making it more efficient and empowering Africa to compete more effectively on the global stage.
Reflecting on Africa’s colonial past, Nwoko also called attention to the enduring influence of European languages such as English, French, and German, which were imposed during colonization. In contrast, he pointed out that Africa is rich with indigenous languages spoken across multiple nations, including Swahili, Hausa, Yoruba, and Ibo.
“We’ve seen the effects of colonialism with languages like English, French, and German imposed on us, but we have rich indigenous languages like Swahili, Hausa, Yoruba, and Arabic,” he said. Nwoko believes that adopting one of these indigenous languages as a pan-African lingua franca could foster unity and bolster Africa’s cultural identity.
However, Nwoko cautioned that achieving these goals requires strong, visionary leadership. “We need political leaders who are willing to put Africa first, leaders who are truly passionate about building a new Africa,” he emphasized.
The event was part of Elevate Africa’s ongoing series of discussions aimed at shaping a more united and prosperous future for the continent. Senator Nwoko’s call for an African currency and a shared language resonated as bold steps toward a new chapter in Africa’s development.
