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Rebuilding Cohesion: National Identity as the Foundation for Trust and Strong Institutions

Published

1 year ago

August 18, 2025

By Enene Ejembi

In a country as diverse as Nigeria—over 200 million people, 500 languages, more than 200 ethnic groups, and three major religions—the search for national unity is not just a noble aspiration; it is a strategic necessity for nation-building, deepening democracy, and unlocking sustainable development.

Without unity, the state struggles to mobilize citizens’ collective will, build strong institutions, and deliver inclusive growth.Yet the path to unity is often misunderstood. It is too often pursued as a quick win—declared in speeches and celebrated in symbolic moments—rather than built through the patient work it requires. True unity demands long-term investment, deliberate trust-building, and reconciliation.

It cannot be achieved without confronting, and where possible correcting, historical wrongs that continue to shape relationships between communities and the state.

When these deeper fractures are left unaddressed, cohesion remains elusive, and our weak sense of a shared national “we” persists.

The “Sense of Us” ImperativeThis is precisely the challenge Ricardo Hausmann describes in his “Sense of Us” theory: nations cannot advance economically without a deep, widely shared identity that makes citizens feel part of the same “we.” Without that collective sense of belonging, cooperation falters, sacrifices for the common good become harder to mobilize, and institutions—even when well-designed—struggle to function. Development, democratic deepening, and nation-building all require the “software” of social cohesion to match the “hardware” of policies and institutions. In Nigeria’s case, rebuilding that shared identity is not a sentimental exercise; it is the foundational work on which trust, effective governance, and sustainable progress depend.National Identity as a Strategic Lever for Cohesion National identity is not a feel-good concept or a cultural afterthought. It is a strategic tool for nation-building—one that can deliberately foster cohesion in a fragmented society.

A strong and inclusive national identity doesn’t erase local affiliations; it situates them within a broader, collective narrative. It is about ensuring that every Nigerian, regardless of ethnicity, religion, gender, or region, feels seen, valued, and included in the national story.

Building such an identity requires intentional action. Inclusive education, media representation, national symbols, historical storytelling, and fair policy-making are all vehicles for expanding the group of citizens who see themselves as part of the national whole.

One compelling example is Nigeria’s Special Seats Bill (HB.7), which proposes reserved parliamentary seats for women.

This is not just about political quotas; it is an effort to correct the historical exclusion of women from political leadership, expand the circle of contribution and belonging, and signal that women are equal stakeholders in Nigeria’s future.

By increasing women’s representation, the Bill strengthens the shared national identity that underpins social cohesion.

A Practical Roadmap for Inclusion and TrustRebuilding Nigeria begins with rebuilding “we”—or, as Ricardo Hausmann describes it, fostering a shared “sense of us”.

This is not a linear process, but one that requires concurrent investments in inclusion, identity-building, and service delivery.

Civil society, traditional institutions, media, and government must all work together to create a sense of shared purpose and belonging.

Women’s political representation is a central pillar in this roadmap, not a side issue.

The Special Seats Bill is more than a reform—it is an act of identity-making. It expands the boundaries of “who belongs” and affirms that a nation’s future must be shaped by all its people.

Similar measures—such as quotas for youth, persons with disabilities, and marginalized groups—can help deepen participation and broaden the national identity.

These are not symbolic gestures; they are building blocks of a new, inclusive nation.

Alongside representation reforms, other tools include strengthening physical security through effective state protection; economic security through equitable opportunities, social safety nets, and basic services; and inclusive governance through policies that guarantee equal access to justice and uphold the rule of law.

Inter-group dialogue, peacebuilding, addressing historical grievances, cultural integration, and sustained civic education all contribute to the same goal: a society where every citizen feels they belong.

From Cohesion to Trust and Institutional StrengthWhen social cohesion is strengthened through shared identity and inclusion, it creates the fertile ground upon which trust in governance can grow. People are more likely to engage and cooperate with government—pay taxes, vote, comply with laws—when they feel represented and valued.

Only then can institutions begin to function effectively.

Trust is the foundation upon which institutions stand.

Without it, no amount of reform or technical expertise will be enough. Citizens trust institutions not because they exist, but because they serve, protect, and reflect their aspirations. Strong public institutions—courts that uphold justice, agencies that deliver services fairly, and electoral commissions that ensure credible elections—can only thrive in an environment where legitimacy is not in question.

That legitimacy stems from a society that believes in its collective identity.

Embedding Identity in Culture and Daily LifeCohesion must live not only in official documents but in the daily rhythms, celebrations, and aspirations of Nigerian life.

A national identity rooted in the best of our values, historical achievements, and aspirations should be consciously woven into everything we do—our policies, our development plans, our reforms, our institutions, our laws, and our social norms.

It should also be present in the stories we tell, the music we compose, the films we produce, the books we write, and the educational curricula that shape our children’s minds.

It should echo in our public ceremonies, be reinforced in our civic education, and be reflected in the art, media, and cultural symbols that define us at home and abroad.

As Andrew Fletcher of Saltoun argued in 1703, “if a man were permitted to make all the songs of a nation, he need not care who should make the laws.”Conclusion:

The Cohesion Imperative Cohesion is not a byproduct of development; it is its foundation.

Shared national identity fosters cohesion.

Cohesion enables trust. Trust makes institutions work. Women’s political representation—and the broader inclusion it symbolizes—is essential to building that identity.To build a Nigeria that delivers for all, we must move beyond rhetoric to deliberate action.

We must cultivate a national identity rooted in justice, fairness, and inclusion.

Only then can we build institutions that endure, and governance that serves. In the end, a nation is not built solely by its government, but by the strength of its bond with its people.

That bond, anchored in shared identity, is the key to a more stable, peaceful, and prosperous Nigeria.

Enene Ejembi is the Founder and Executive Director of Verbatim Virtual Solutions, an international development consulting firm based in Nigeria. She can be reached on X via her handle: @enenezig

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Business

Turning Africa’s Raw Materials Into Wealth: The ARMS 2026 Industrial Agenda

Published

3 days ago

September 29, 2026

The Gleamer

By Joel Ajayi

For decades, Africa’s vast natural resources have powered industries and economies far beyond the continent, while many African countries have remained largely exporters of unprocessed commodities and importers of finished products.

That familiar pattern is now coming under renewed scrutiny as policymakers, researchers, investors and industrialists seek to change the direction of Africa’s resource economy.

At the centre of that conversation is the second edition of the Africa Raw Materials Summit (ARMS 2026), scheduled for October 19 and 20 at the Abuja Continental Hotel, Abuja, under the theme: “From African Feedstock to African Factories.”

Organised by the Raw Materials Research and Development Council (RMRDC), the summit is being positioned as more than another gathering of policymakers and industry stakeholders. It is intended to provide a platform for confronting the structural challenges that have kept African raw materials largely disconnected from local manufacturing.

Africa has for years operated largely within a “pit-to-port” economic model, exporting raw materials while importing expensive finished products.

Speaking at a press conference ahead of the summit on Tuesday in Abuja, the Director-General and Chief Executive Officer of RMRDC, Prof. Nnanyelugo Martin Ike-Muonso, said the event would bring together policymakers, investors, researchers, technology providers and industrialists to develop practical strategies for transforming Africa’s abundant natural resources into industrial wealth.

The challenge, therefore, is not simply the abundance of resources, but the continent’s ability to transform those resources into industrial value, employment, technology and wealth within Africa.

Nigeria alone, according to the RMRDC, has more than $582.4 billion in documented non-renewable natural resources, while the wider continent possesses substantial deposits of critical minerals, agricultural raw materials and industrial feedstock.

Yet, the benefits of this resource endowment have often been constrained by inadequate processing capacity, weak infrastructure, limited technology, financing gaps and fragmented regional value chains.

From Dialogue to Industrial Action

ARMS 2026 builds on the maiden edition held in May 2025, which attracted more than 1,000 delegates from across the world.

The inaugural summit also witnessed the unveiling of the Ten-Year Raw Materials Transformation Roadmap (2025–2034) by the Minister of State for Industry, Senator John Owen Enoh.

The roadmap was designed around areas including technological capability, climate-resilient processing and backward integration, establishing a policy framework for greater domestic utilisation of Africa’s raw materials.

The second edition is expected to move the conversation further by bringing policy, capital, technology and industrial stakeholders around practical mechanisms for turning raw materials into locally manufactured products.

One of the major proposals highlighted by the RMRDC is the 30 per cent Mandatory Value Addition Bill, which seeks to establish a statutory minimum level of value addition to Nigerian raw materials before export.

The Council says the proposed framework could support job creation, import substitution, foreign-exchange conservation and increased manufacturing contribution to the economy.

Building the Infrastructure for Value Addition

The industrial transformation envisaged by ARMS 2026 goes beyond legislation.

A major concern is the “missing middle” between where raw materials are produced and where factories are located.

Poor transportation networks, inadequate cold-chain facilities, weak rural roads, limited testing and certification infrastructure and border-related delays can make locally sourced materials more expensive and less competitive.

Consequently, logistics and infrastructure constitute one of the five principal pillars of the summit.

The objective is to develop more reliable corridors connecting farms and mines with processing centres and manufacturing facilities, thereby reducing losses and improving the movement of industrial inputs.

The Digital Dimension

Technology is also becoming an important part of the Council’s strategy.

The RMRDC says it has developed the Nigeria Integrated Information Statistical System for Raw Materials and Products (NISSRAMP), described as a digital repository containing information on feedstock deposits, specifications, production outputs and industrial absorption rates.

The Council has also highlighted its transition towards paperless operations and its certification as a Data Controller/Processor of Major Importance by the Nigeria Data Protection Commission.

Such digital infrastructure could provide investors and manufacturers with better information about the availability and characteristics of raw materials while supporting more informed industrial planning.

Turning Waste Into Industrial Inputs

Another major component of ARMS 2026 is the proposed expansion of the circular economy.

The summit will examine how agricultural by-products, mine tailings, scrap metals and biomass can be recovered and reused as inputs for new production processes rather than being treated simply as waste.

The RMRDC argues that such an approach could lower raw-material costs while supporting more sustainable and climate-resilient manufacturing systems.

For Africa, where industrial expansion must increasingly balance economic development with environmental considerations, waste industrialisation could become an important part of the continent’s manufacturing conversation.

From National Production to African Value Chains

The African Continental Free Trade Area is another important element of the summit’s agenda.

The RMRDC sees AfCFTA as an opportunity to create regional value chains in which raw materials sourced in one African country can be processed and supplied to manufacturers in another.

Under such a model, Africa would move beyond simply exporting commodities to external markets and develop stronger internal networks for supplying chemicals, refined minerals, agricultural inputs and other industrial materials across national borders.

This approach places regional integration at the heart of Africa’s industrialisation strategy.

Bridging Research and Capital

A recurring weakness in many developing economies is the gap between research and commercialisation.

Innovations may emerge from universities, research institutions and laboratories without receiving the financing, equipment or market connections required to become commercially viable.

ARMS 2026 intends to address that gap through technology commercialisation and capital linkages, connecting research outputs with investors, development finance institutions and industrial off-takers.

The RMRDC has also cited partnerships with the Bank of Industry for commercial-scale post-harvest processing and a South-South technology-transfer partnership with the National Innovation Centre par Excellence in Shanghai, China.

A Larger Industrial Conversation

The scale of ARMS 2026 is expected to be significantly larger than the maiden edition.

The organisers project more than 1,800 delegates from all 54 African countries and global industrial partners.

The programme will feature high-level policy dialogues, technical panels, an advanced raw materials and technology exhibition, industrial site visits and the African Raw Materials Industry Awards.

The exhibition, in particular, is expected to showcase locally fabricated processing machinery, advanced domestic materials, green chemicals and engineered commercial inputs.

Beyond the speeches and exhibitions, however, the real significance of ARMS 2026 will ultimately depend on what happens after the summit.

Africa’s challenge has never been a shortage of raw materials. The more difficult question has been how to transform those resources into factories, products, skilled employment, technology and sustainable economic opportunities.

For Nigeria and the rest of the continent, the proposed shift from “pit-to-port” to “feedstock-to-factory” therefore represents a broader debate about the future structure of African economies.

ARMS 2026 seeks to place that debate firmly on the industrial agenda — with value addition, technology, finance, infrastructure, circular production and regional trade at the centre.

If the commitments and partnerships generated by the summit translate into measurable industrial activity, the event could provide another platform for Africa to examine how its enormous resource base can support stronger domestic manufacturing.

The message from the organisers is clear: the continent’s raw materials should not only leave African soil as commodities; they should increasingly become the foundation for African industrial production

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