Experts and stakeholders have renewed calls for accountability to strengthen liberty and drive prosperity across Africa.
They made the call in Abuja during the maiden Conference of Freedom Advocates 2025, organised by the Liberalist Centre.
The conference, themed “Inspire”, explored issues around free markets, limited government and regulatory reforms.
A statement issued in Abuja by Mr Abdullah Tijani, the Executive Director of the centre, said that Africa remained poor because it was not free.
Tijani, a legal practitioner, stressed the need for ideas and constructive dialogue to deepen liberty on the continent.
Speaking on the role of accountability, Mr Iniobong Usen, Senior Programme Coordinator, International Budget Partnership, said that government interference remained a major threat to liberty in Nigeria.
Usen cited the removal of fuel subsidy by President Bola Tinubu in 2023 as an example of how state intervention influences economic outcomes.
“For Nigeria, petroleum subsidy remains the big elephant in the room. The NNPC used to be the sole importer of fuel products, determining pricing and availability.
“But with the removal of the subsidy, we saw a long fuse appear across the length and breadth,” he said.
Usen noted that only collective efforts by citizens demanding transparency and accountability from the government could guarantee a prosperous society.
A participant, Mr Muritala Abdullahi, who is a journalist, said that the conference examined factors hindering Africa’s economic and social development.
He said that discussions focused on the effects of excessive government control on trade, security, agriculture and other sectors.
“As an advocate of freedom, individual liberty, free markets and limited government, the sessions left me better equipped to champion a freer and more prosperous Africa,” he added.
Another participant, Miss Habibat Sani, a law graduate, said that the event motivated young Africans to promote good governance, liberty and equal opportunity for all.
She, however, described the gathering as a platform to amplify ideas of a freer society.
