Former Ghanaian president, John Dramani Mahama, has said Africa requires leaders who are thinking years ahead and not short-sighted leaders to realise the potential of the continent.
He spoke just as a former president of Botswana, Lt. General Seretse Khama Lan Khama, blamed politicians for instability in Africa.
They spoke in Lagos at the weekend during the 2024 African Heritage Awards organised by Heritage Times.
Mahama who was conferred with the African Advancement for Exemplary Leadership said leaders must be accountable to the people.
He said to shape Africa’s path to prosperity, governments in African countries must reduce their involvement in the management of the economy, adding that it should be the business of the private sector to drive economic growth.
He advised African governments to adopt home-grown solutions in solving internal problems, adding that African leaders must support innovation and believe in the local solutions put forward by the entrepreneurs.
Former Botswana president said, “I have been a politician myself and I know for a fact that a lot of our problems and instability are caused by some politicians. However, my observation is that those politicians who fail to put the interests and needs of their people first are a cause for backwards.”
