Africa: Africa Must Break Cycle of Failed Governance, Leaders Say

What the report says

At the Africa Mindset Reset Forum in Kigali, speakers argued that Africa needs stronger institutions and a new generation of purposeful leaders to end repeated governance failures that continue to hold back development. The presidential panel was held on Tuesday, August 25, and included Rwandan President Paul Kagame, former Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn, former South African President Thabo Mbeki and Ghana’s Vice President Jane Naana Opoku-Agyemang.

According to The New Times, the discussion focused on why many African countries still face similar governance and development problems despite years of policies, plans and continental frameworks. Kagame said the continent has resources and talent but must address the behavior and attitudes that prevent policies from being carried out effectively. Opoku-Agyemang emphasized that Africa has not lacked plans, but must take greater ownership of its future and the stories it tells about itself.

Desalegn linked the problem to rent-seeking political systems and called for development-oriented leadership supported by institutions such as the African School of Governance. Mbeki said Africa should think about how to cultivate leaders who can serve the public interest, noting that earlier liberation-era leadership emerged from shared struggle and sacrifice. The broader point raised by the panel was that governance reform is not only about policy design, but also about institutions, leadership development and public accountability. That matters because the continent’s economic and social goals depend on turning its considerable human and natural resources into practical results.