When posted at the United Nations, Kayode Laro admits that he sometimes got sucked into what one might call the “New York state of mind.”
“I thought the world started and ended in New York, and I looked at Atlanta as, ‘Oh, well that’s really off my radar,’” the Nigerian consul general said in a Consular Conversation with Global Atlanta in September.
Now, it might be said that Mr. Laro has Georgia on his mind, particularly the state’s agricultural and technology sectors, which he sees as ripe for partnerships with his home country.
Mr. Laro took up his new role earlier this year, representing the interests of a country of 170 million people across 17 states and territories including Puerto Rico.
It’s the first ever consular posting for a diplomat more accustomed to multilateral forums, including his last two postings at the U.N. — first in Geneva, then in New York.
It was in the latter, working on the human rights council, that he came face to face with the power that the five members of the UN Security Council wield.
“Before you could do anything, whether it was a resolution or a statement, you had to gather consent. You had to go behind the scenes and consult with them and make sure they were on board,” Mr. Laro said during the event at the law offices of Miller & Martin PLLC.
Consular work is different: It’s more connected to the people, both compatriots and those who want to conduct business with the country. Metro Atlanta has the third-largest concentration of Nigerians in the U.S. after New York and Houston, where Mr. Laro traveled to show his goodwill and support after Hurricane Harvey. Most of Georgia’s Nigerians live within five metro counties.
Having the only nonstop flight to Nigeria in the South and boasting a civil rights legacy serve to boost Atlanta’s reputation back home, Mr. Laro said.
“One of the things I admire about Atlanta is the fact that I see a lot of blacks doing well here, I really do, and I think that resonates with Nigerians. I think it could be a selling point for our businessmen back home,” he said, noting that Nigeria, a leader for the global black community, watches these things closely.
Lucky for him, the local Nigerian community has become extremely organized — with local associations formed based on occupation, tribe or affiliation with any of the 36 states that make up the federalized country.
Nigerian government officials including former presidents and numerous state governors and cabinet ministers often stop in Atlanta. Tribal leaders, chiefs and even princesses sometimes grace the city. Nigerian doctors keep connected through medical associations. Former Atlanta Mayor and Africa connector Andrew Young likes to say, true or not, that Nigerians are the local community with the highest education levels.
“The small associations are the building blocks of the larger ones, so if people are united at that level and they come together, I think it helps to cement the whole community into one big block which you can cooperate with,” Mr. Laro said.
But outside of taking care of his own community, Mr. Laro has an even bigger portfolio — trying to connect the country’s growth plans to the resources in the Southeast U.S. that can help it grow.
This is especially vital given the country’s ongoing battle with Boko Haram, the extremist group active in the northeast of the country. While the government has taken back all the group’s territory, some worry that lack of economic opportunity will continue to breed extremism.
The problems facing Nigeria are vast. An exporter of oil and rich in gas, the country has nonetheless faced chronic power shortages. Nearby Ghana, with about a seventh of the population, has more installed capacity. Mr. Laro says this is changing as the government privatizes infrastructure, but that it’s a “work in progress” that is part of the broader Economic Recovery and Growth Plan. U.S. companies are involved through the Power Africa initiative, but China is also building a monstrous hydroelectric dam, providing almost $6 billion in financing as well as construction help.
Mass, unplanned urbanization is also presenting challenges. Lagos, a sister city of Atlanta and the economic hub of the country, is a sprawling mega city with more than 20 million people by some accounts — the largest in Africa.
[pullquote]”If you want to reverse a situation that has existed for decades, you’re in a marathon, not a sprint.”[/pullquote]
“What I think we need to do is to spread out economic opportunities across the country, and particularly in the rural areas, where of course there is lots of space,” Mr. Laro said, noting that it’s a well-worn path as many African nations are facing the same issue.
That’s why he is so focused on two of Georgia’s strengths: agriculture and financial technology.
Just after arriving this year, Mr. Laro joined the Georgia Department of Economic Development’s International VIP Tour, an annual trip that gives diplomats a broader view of the state. This year focused on Middle Georgia, with stops at a Perry peach farm, Lake Blackshear and the small town of Plains, where former President Jimmy Carter’s family farmed peanuts.
“I’ll be honest about it: if that trip hadn’t happened, I’m not too sure I would be able to have that perspective on Georgia,” Mr. Laro said, praising the department. “Most people come and think Georgia starts and ends in Atlanta.”
He later met with Georgia Agriculture Secretary Gary Black to discuss collaborations that would boost Georgia exports, yes, but would focus more intently on transferring knowhow in fields like poultry production.
“We have the land, but I think what we really need is improved farming techniques, and I believe we can benefit from what Georgia has achieved in that area,” Mr. Laro said, noting that he’ll be looking to the University of Georgia and other schools for partnerships.
Nigeria also presents opportunities in financial technology, already having become a leader in mobile payments, which has taken off there as it has in other nations like Kenya.
“We have a lot of these things going on. In Nigeria you can buy your air ticket and do your banking transaction on your phone. The tech sector is growing and really you can see it,” Mr. Laro said, noting that an August 2016 visit by Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg had served as another point of validation.
Atlanta is a fintech and payments hub waving the flag of its preeminence around the globe. It has direct links with Lagos through flights and sister-city ties. The Atlanta Sister Cities Commission even did a virtual SnapChat exchange with Nigerian companies in Lagos using an app last year.
One company in the Consular Conversations crowd exemplified the potential for collaboration in both sectors. FarmCrowdy, a mixture of crowdfunding and peer-to-peer lending to help small landholder farmers, was selected for this year’s Techstars Atlanta accelerator. Onyeka Akumah, the CEO, visited the event to seek out partnerships and will be back for the final leg of the program this month.
Mr. Laro praised the company’s work but said signs exist that agricultural production is growing. The country has come out of recession induced by an inflationary environment spurred largely by the drop in oil prices, which contribute significantly to its budget.
But again, it won’t happen overnight.
“If you want to reverse a situation that has existed for decades, you’re in a marathon, not a sprint.”