Nigerian former Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo’s appointment is more than ceremonial. It is both symbolic and strategic, signalling a stronger African voice in reshaping how global development cooperation works.
As a former Vice President of Africa’s largest economy, Osinbajo brings first-hand experience of the pressures facing developing countries from mounting debt and infrastructure deficits to climate vulnerability and the limits of aid-dependent growth models. His perspective comes at a critical moment, with more than 50 countries worldwide, many of them in Africa, struggling under severe debt distress.
Speaking on the coalition’s objectives, Osinbajo stressed that development cooperation is not an abstract policy exercise but a lived reality. “It affects job creation, education, and recovery from crises,” he said, underscoring the everyday consequences of global financial decisions.
He argued that the time has come to move beyond a narrow focus on aid, calling instead for partnerships anchored in investment, trade, and long-term economic transformation. This approach reflects a wider shift in global development thinking.
Although official development assistance now exceeds $200 billion a year, it represents less than 10 per cent of total financial flows to developing countries. Increasingly, private capital, domestic resource mobilisation, and South–South cooperation are shaping development outcomes.
For African policymakers, Osinbajo’s new role brings the continent closer to the centre of global debates on how development cooperation should evolve and whose priorities it should ultimately serve.
