A CASE FOR HOMEGROWN LEADERSHIP
Historically, and for various reasons, Africa has often been seen to be in need of external help and solutions to deal with the many challenges it faces. Luckily, we have started to witness more Africans advocating for ownership of solutions. The principle being that taking an active part in creating sustainable solutions incentivises people to make them a success. As economist George Ayittey once said: “We need African solutions to African problems”. Africa must cultivate leadership in the next generation with a particular focus on economic, political, social and cultural spheres.
The concept of ‘African solutions to African problems’ does not mean excluding the rest of the world from participating in building Africa, it simply means that ideas should emerge from the people living on the continent and adapt to the realities of it. With its ever growing and predominantly young population, the continent possesses one of the most important resources for its development: human resources. By investing heavily in the next generation of young leaders through education and capacity building, we are effectively shaping the continent’s trajectory for the better.
A younger and forward-looking generation, with a deep and specific understanding of 21st century challenges, is rising on the continent. Fast-tracking the development of this golden generation’s bright individuals is instrumental for Africa to achieve its full potential. However, at present, there is still a significant lack of pan-African mentorships and training programs enabling Africans to actively participate in bringing solutions to the various challenges faced by the population at large. Creating an enabling environment that supports this upcoming generation’s growth means equipping them with the knowledge and resources necessary for their success.
In this particular case, the importance of mentorship cannot be overlooked. Mentorship is crucial to cultivating effective leaders and growing a stronger talent pool. It enables ambitious individuals to learn by seeing and listening, as well as by doing. Beyond creating a stimulating intellectual environment where innovative ideas flow freely, mentorship also helps create a sense of accountability for real progress by challenging mentees to take proactive steps toward achieving set goals. Finally, mentorship opens the door to a network of like-minded people, offering a community for mentees to develop, thrive and be supported.
Empowering a whole generation of Africans to take ownership of both their future and the future of the entire continent requires time, patience, persistence, resilience and of course, appropriate financial resources. Both governments and private entities across the continent must make it a priority to invest seriously and continuously in Africa’s sizeable talent pool.
To grow this talent pool, we must first identify our future leaders and quality education remains the best conduit to do so. However, with enrolment in tertiary education averaging around just 7%, access to education generally, and higher education in particular, remains out of reach to many in Africa. Poverty continues to be the biggest and most enduring threat and obstacle to accessing education, followed closely by lack of inclusivity and poor infrastructure. Here again, financial resources, both public and private, will play a key role in rising to these challenges.
There is a strong case to be made about why home-growing the next generation of African leaders, not only political leaders, but business and cultural leaders as well as the intellectual elite, is so important for development. However, nurturing and harnessing the raw potential Africa has to offer can only be achieved through knowledge sharing and tangible capacity building initiatives such as mentorship and training programs. Identifying, cultivating and empowering the next generation of African leadership will have a powerful ripple effect, with positive consequences that will be felt for years to come.
