President Bola Tinubu, ex-military Head of State, Gen Yakubu Gowon, and former President of South Africa, Thabo Mbeki, on Thursday, advocated homegrown solutions and strong leadership to address the challenges confronting African countries.
They called on African leaders to abandon reliance on foreign blueprints, stressing that the continent needs leaders who wield policy as a tool for transformation rather than as mere rhetoric.
Speaking at the Dr. Kayode Fayemi commemorative symposium and the launch of the Amandla Institute for Policy and Leadership Advancement in Abuja, Tinubu lamented what he described as “the tragedy of our time,” where African leaders remain dependent on external plans while failing to break free from a client-state mentality.
Represented by Vice President Kashim Shettima at the event, with the theme: “Renewing the Pan-African Ideal for the Changing Times: The Policy and Leadership Challenges and Opportunities,” Tinubu highlighted the urgent need for Africa to embrace technological advancement and innovation.
“Whatever our differences across the continent, one fact that can’t be eroded by our infighting is that we are in the age of machines, and we can’t fight our development dilemma with spears and arrows while the rest of the world is fighting the same battle with missiles and tanks. The world is not waiting for Africa to catch up,” he said.
Senior Special Assistant to the Vice President on Media and Communication, Stanley Nkwocha, shared excerpts of Tinubu’s remarks in a statement titled “President Tinubu: We Need Leaders Who Wield Policy as Blade, Not Slogan.”
Tinubu criticised African leaders for focusing on political rivalries rather than technological advancement, saying, “While we parse political rivalries, others parse datasets. While we litigate history, others engineer futures. The train of progress accelerates, yet too many of our leaders cling to old carriages. These are our client-state mentalities, our dependency on foreign blueprints, and our governance by hashtag activism. This is the tragedy of our time.”
He argued that Africa’s renaissance would not happen as a gift but must be actively built.
He lamented that for too long, African leaders had outsourced their thinking, relying on foreign institutions and ideologies that treat African nations “as consumers, not creators.”
He emphasised that the youth must be empowered to innovate in tech hubs across the continent.
“With the democratisation of knowledge, we must empower our youth to innovate in tech hubs across the continent, from Cairo, down through Nairobi, to Lagos, building unicorns without the permission of any gatekeepers. What they lack is not ideas but ecosystems—systems where policy, funding, and political will converge to scale their genius,” he said.
Tinubu urged African leaders to move beyond being mere custodians of power and instead become architects of platforms that promote innovation.
He called for an Africa where every government ministry integrates AI strategists, where trade policies are shaped by homegrown think tanks like the Amandla Institute rather than foreign consultants, and where “Made in Africa” is associated with technological advancements, green energy, and cultural capital.
He also urged the Amandla Institute to position Africa as a partner in global development rather than as a recipient of patronage.
“The institute must become a command centre for the continent, turning thinkers into doers, policies into progress, and Pan-African ideals into lived realities,” he said.
Addressing African youth, Tinubu encouraged them to take advantage of modern tools to overcome colonial legacies. “For those of us privileged to lead you through this interesting time, we must never forget that our legacy can only be sustained by the systems we institutionalise. Africa seeks collaboration, not patronage. This is the vision I expect Amandla to convey to the world. We are not a testing ground for experiments but equals in co-creating solutions,” he stated.
Mbeki, in his keynote address, noted that Africa’s development aspirations had largely been unmet due to poor leadership and inadequate resource mobilisation. He urged African leaders to position the continent strategically in a multipolar global order, ensuring it actively participates in shaping the global agenda.
“Our continent must pay particular attention to the development of the right leadership capable of defending and advancing our vast interests within the context of competing global players and in a situation of continuing globalisation and institution of a multipolar order,” Mbeki said.
He expressed optimism that the Amandla Institute would contribute to Africa’s development and enhance its participation in global decision-making.
On his part, Gowon commended Fayemi for the initiative and emphasised that Africa can pave its own way by fostering solutions from within, utilising innovation and indigenous knowledge.
He stated “Africa must prioritise sustainable management of its resources to ensure wealth generated benefits local communities. Pan-Africanism should push for African-led initiatives, such as regional trade networks and shared infrastructure projects, to reduce reliance on external actors.”
Dignitaries at the event included UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed, former Nigerian Head of State Gen. Yakubu Gowon (retd.), former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, former Senate President Bukola Saraki, Governors Abiodun Oyebanji of Ekiti and Lucky Aiyedatiwa of Ondo, Senate Leader Opeyemi Bamidele, and former governors Emeka Ihedioha (Imo), Gabriel Suswam (Benue), Waziri Tambuwal (Sokoto), Chris Ngige (Anambra), Babangida Aliyu (Niger), and Abubakar Badaru (Jigawa). Also in attendance were former APC National Chairman John Oyegun, the Ooni of Ife Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi, and the Emir of Kano Muhammadu Sanusi II, among others.
