Falola Set to Diagnose Africa’s Development Paradox on Boiling Point Arena

​Renowned historian and distinguished scholar, Professor Toyin Falola, will on Sunday, September 13, 2026, headline the 47th edition of the monthly interview discourse, Boiling Point Arena, to interrogate the persistent structural barriers hindering Africa’s socio-economic advancement.

​The virtual current affairs programme, themed “The Africa We Want: Can the Continent Break Free from the Cycle of Underdevelopment?”, will air live via Zoom from 8:00 PM to 10:00 PM. The discourse will simultaneously broadcast across seven partner radio stations—including WASH 94.9FM Lagos, Sweet 107.1FM, Roots 97.1FM, and Opera Tune 106.3FM in Abeokuta, Erimbe 94.7FM Shagamu, Women Radio 91.7FM Mowe, and Kruzz 92.9FM Asaba—as well as on NSTV via GOtv Channel.

​Eminent traditional ruler and Olowu of Owu Kingdom, Oba Professor Saka Matemilola, serves as the Chairman and Keynote Speaker for the event, which is hosted by veteran media practitioner and communication strategy expert, Ayo Arowojolu.

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​The two-hour intellectual engagement will focus heavily on the striking paradox of a continent richly endowed with vast natural resources, strategic minerals, youthful demographics, and a vibrant cultural heritage, yet continually hobbled by poverty, infrastructural deficits, institutional weakness, and economic dependency. Professor Falola, an esteemed professor of history based in Austin, Texas, is expected to lead participants through an introspective examination of whether Africa’s predicament stems primarily from historical forces like colonialism or from internal governance failures and elite complicity.

​Discussions will closely scrutinize critical pillars of development, including the crisis of political leadership, the transformation of educational systems to foster a robust knowledge economy, the acceleration of technological innovation, and the strengthening of regional integration and intra-African trade. By dissecting the essential choices required politically, economically, and culturally, the platform aims to chart a definitive pathway toward a self-reliant, prosperous, and globally competitive African continent.