The immediate past Vice-President of Nigeria, Professor Yemi Osinbajo on Thursday delivered a comprehensive speech on collaboration during his address to world leaders at the inaugural Future Resilience Forum (FRF) in London on October 10, 2023.

Osinbajo while speaking at the event emphasized the importance of collaborative engagement between the global North and South, particularly in light of the significant renewable energy potential and critical mineral resources abundant in the global South.

The former VP stressed that this collaborative approach must prioritize openness and transparency rather than being driven solely by a desire for influence and leadership in the global South.

Osinbajo warned that neglecting this approach would lead to a missed opportunity to effectively address global issues related to climate change, peace, and security.

Speaking further at the event themed: “Resilient Systems: Managing Critical Dependencies,” Osinbajo said that “every day, it is becoming more obvious that what the global south requires is more collaboration, more thinking together, rather than the exertion of influence.”

According to him, a lot of the resources needed to develop along a climate-conducive trajectory are located in the developing world, and with the rise of several nations to world power status, these host nations of resources now have a wider choice than before in choosing their preferred partners.

The Forum was attended by a range of world leaders, including the UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, Senegal’s President Macky Sall, Iraq’s President Abdul Latif Rashid, former UK Foreign Secretary William Hague, British Petroleum’s Senior Vice President for Europe and Head of UK Operations Louise Kingham, Chairman of the Independent Energy Policy Institute Narendra Taneja, and many others.

New Telegraph understands that the inaugural Future Resilience Forum event started on Monday evening, 9^th October, with Prime Minister of the UK, Rishi Sunak, and President of Senegal, Macky Sall, giving keynote addresses on the theme: “Resilience of the Global South and Why it Matters.”

The Forum also featured discussions on various topics including Resilient Systems, Democratic Resilience, Resilient Information Ecosystems, Technology and Accountability, and Resilient Food and Health Systems.

FRF, established by Fiona Hill, is the world’s inaugural security conference with a primary focus on advancing global resilience. The Forum’s mission is to encourage practical, apolitical, and sustainable cooperation, asserting that democracies should expand their definition of success beyond election cycles. It aims to assist governments, businesses, and society in comprehending the challenges posed by the public as they navigate the divisive information age.

Later this month, Osinbajo is scheduled to lead a panel discussion on “Navigating the Energy Transition” at the 10^th Anniversary of the Financial Times Africa Summit, which is set to take place on October 17, 2023, in the United Kingdom. (New Telegraph)

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