President Muhammadu Buhari says Europe will not find sustainable solution to its problem of migration and crises associated with it, except it creates opportunities to develop Africa.

“Despite burgeoning possibility, irregular northward migration from my continent drains Africa’s talent pool, while provoking political crises in the EU,” Mr Buhari said. “Despite its best efforts, Europe will not find a sustainable remedy to this problem by further reinforcing its Fortress Europe approach.”

“Instead, more opportunities must be created for Africans at home, providing alternatives to the decision to take a life-threatening boat journey in order to seek them elsewhere,” he added.

Mr Buhari made this statement in an article to mark the participation of Nigeria at the ongoing sixth EU-AFRICA summit in Brussels, Belgium on Thursday.

He further said, “by 2050, Africa’s population of 1.3 billion is set to double, making up a quarter of the world’s total. My country, Nigeria, is set to double its population to 400 million by then, surpassing the United States to become the third largest nation in the world,” arguing that “the relationship between the EU and Africa must be rebalanced to power job creation. Unfortunately, today’s arrangements do just the opposite.”