Chairman of SIFAX Group, Dr. Taiwo Afolabi, has called for investment, infrastructure and economic opportunity to be placed at the heart of global efforts to prevent conflict, arguing that stronger economies and deeper connections can create conditions for lasting peace.
Afolabi made the call in New York, United States, while speaking at the United Nations General Assembly High-Level Global Executive Roundtable on Diplomacy, Multilateralism and Conflict Resolution.
He said the international community should place greater emphasis on preventing conflicts before they erupt by combining diplomacy and multilateral cooperation with sustainable development and economic inclusion.
“Peace creates the environment for investment, investment creates opportunity, and opportunity strengthens the foundations of peace”, Afolabi said.
He noted that geopolitical tensions, economic uncertainty, climate pressures, inequality and declining trust in institutions were creating a complex global environment that required a coordinated response involving diplomacy, conflict resolution and sustainable economic development.
Investment as a Peace-Building Tool
Afolabi said the connection between peace and development was particularly important for Africa, where infrastructure deficits, financing constraints, trade barriers and limited economic opportunities continue to influence the continent’s development prospects.
He argued that Africa’s peace-building efforts should therefore be matched by a deliberate investment strategy covering transport infrastructure, ports, energy, technology, manufacturing, agriculture, healthcare, education and human capital.
“Africa’s peace building agenda must be accompanied by an investment agenda”, he said.
He also called for stronger regional value chains and improved connectivity among African economies, stressing that the success of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) would depend on more than the signing of trade agreements.
According to him, infrastructure, efficient logistics, digital systems, financing and political cooperation are essential to turning the continental trade framework into meaningful economic connections.
“Trade and connectivity can create shared interests among nations. The success of AfCFTA depends not only on trade agreements but on infrastructure, efficient logistics, digital systems, financing and political cooperation”, he said.
Private Sector Has a Role
The SIFAX chairman also highlighted the role of private businesses in building economic connections among communities, companies and countries.
Drawing on SIFAX Group’s operations across maritime, logistics, aviation, financial services, oil and gas and hospitality, Afolabi said infrastructure and connectivity should be viewed beyond their immediate commercial functions.
He described them as important components of wider economic development, particularly because efficient infrastructure can connect producers and consumers while opening access to regional and international markets.
“A functioning logistics system can connect farmers to markets, manufacturers to consumers, businesses to international value chains and countries to one another”, he said.
Afolabi added that these connections could create shared economic interests and incentives for cooperation, making infrastructure and investment relevant to broader peace-building efforts.
His position was that preventing conflict should not be approached solely through responses after instability has emerged, but should also involve creating economic opportunities and stronger connections that can support stability over the longer term.