KEY POINTS

• Osinbajo says growth without social justice is hollow.
• Climate justice is central to Africa’s economic survival.
• Fair systems and inclusion drive sustainable development.

Former Vice President Yemi Osinbajo says Africa needs a new development playbook—one that places people, not numbers, at its heart.

Speaking in Abuja at the Ford Foundation Office for West Africa’s 65th anniversary event, he argued that social justice should define how the continent measures success, not just economic output.

Social justice in Africa’s development must lead growth

“Africa may be the fastest-growing continent in GDP terms,” Osinbajo said. “Yet, it remains where the quality of life is lowest.” He noted that economic expansion often fails to reach ordinary citizens, leaving the promise of democracy unfulfilled.

Also drawing from his time as head of Nigeria’s Economic Management Team, Osinbajo said governments must link development to the welfare of the majority. “Social justice places the human being, not statistics, at the centre of growth,” he said.

He added that development built from the bottom up ensures fairness, equality, and opportunity. Inclusion, he stressed, is the real engine of prosperity.

Climate justice in Africa’s development is urgent

Osinbajo called climate change an economic justice issue, warning that Nigeria could face up to 9.4 million internal climate migrants by 2050 due to floods and desertification. “We are not responsible for this crisis,” he said. “The global north is.”

He urged global corporations to fund adaptation and damage-repair efforts and called for empowering communities hardest hit by environmental degradation to negotiate directly with the state and resource extractors.

Turning to governance, Osinbajo linked anti-corruption efforts to social justice, saying fairness in public systems and markets fuels economic growth. He also warned that corruption poses a major threat to development, noting estimates that it could drain 37 percent of Nigeria’s GDP by 2030.

Furthermore, he said anti-corruption programs protect public resources, create jobs, and strengthen business. “When systems are fair, we give people what they deserve—a future that works for everyone.”

Building a just and inclusive future

Osinbajo therefore praised the Ford Foundation’s decades-long push for equality and democracy in West Africa, saying its impact reflects in stronger civic institutions and empowered communities.

Minister of Budget and National Planning Abubakar Bagudu also lauded the Foundation, noting the government’s drive to turn macroeconomic stability into shared prosperity through data-driven planning.

FFOWA Regional Director ChiChi Aniagolu-Okoye said social justice has guided the foundation’s work since 1960. “Progress is not imported—it is imagined and owned by West Africans,” she said.

Furthermore, Ford Foundation Senior Vice President Martín Abregu described the organisation’s evolution from an American philanthropy into a global institution rooted in local realities, connecting climate, gender, and digital rights issues across continents.

Osinbajo finally closed with a reminder: “Social justice is not charity. It is the bedrock of sustainable development.”