President of Ugwus Youth Empowerment and Community Development (OYECDO), Dr. Chinedu Ogwus, has been honoured with the prestigious Africa-UK Best Procurement Practices Champion Award in London.
Speaking in Cross River State yesterday, Ogwus said that green trade is Africa’s gateway to prosperity. “Climate-smart investment will open new industries, create jobs for millions of our young people, and position Nigeria and the continent as leaders in the global green economy,” he declared to resounding applause.
He said over 60 per cent of the continent’s future depends on empowering its youth through climate-smart opportunities.
He stressed that renewable energy, sustainable agriculture, and green technology innovation are not just environmental imperatives but pathways to mass employment, innovation, and global competitiveness, he said.
He further stressed that eco-certified exports would grant African goods stronger access to European markets, where environmental standards now dictate competitiveness.
“Our youths are not just the workforce of tomorrow; they are the innovators of today,” Ogwus emphasised, his words met with loud applause. “If Africa embraces green trade and climate-smart investment, Nigerian youths will become exporters of innovation to the world—not seekers of opportunity.”
According to him, green trade is commerce done with conscience—a model of producing and exchanging goods that reduces carbon emissions, conserves natural resources, and safeguards ecosystems.
He defines climate-smart investment as the strategic flow of financial resources into projects that both protect economies from climate risks and unlock new avenues for prosperity, ranging from solar farms and eco-housing to drought-resistant crops and waste-to-energy innovations.
This clear and practical framing resonated strongly with delegates. UK policymakers and African stakeholders alike nodded in agreement, signaling that Ogwus’s intervention was not lofty rhetoric but a grounded roadmap for Africa’s sustainable economic transformation.
The London conference, themed “Evolving a New Framework for Trade and Investment Between Africa and the UK Within the Changing Global Economy,” brought together high-level delegates from governments, multinational trade institutions, and civil society. Yet, it was Ogwus’s keynote—tying climate action to youth empowerment—that left the most lasting impression.
