African youths, particularly Nigerians, have been urged to move beyond dependence on external support and take greater responsibility for the continent’s development by deploying their skills, creativity and resources to solve African challenges.

The call was made during the Africa Mindset Reset Forum at the Kigali Convention Centre, Rwanda, with more than 1,500 leaders, about 80 per cent of them young and emerging leaders, participating in the gathering.

The forum, convened by the Africa School of Governance (ASG), co-founded by Rwandan President Paul Kagame and former Ethiopian Prime Minister, Hailemariam Desalegn, was themed “From Pan-Africanism to Meta-Africanism.”

The gathering brought together former Presidents and Prime Ministers, government delegations, ministers from several African countries, youth leaders and other stakeholders to examine how Africans could develop the mindset and capacity required to take greater ownership of the continent’s future.

Speaking during a panel session, the Executive Director of YouthHubAfrica, Rotimi Olawale, focused on the need for young Africans to reconsider how they could contribute to development, particularly against the backdrop of Nigeria’s growing Japa phenomenon.

Olawale said many young Nigerians had become disillusioned with the country’s progress and were taking active steps to leave, sometimes with the expectation that they might never return.

However, he noted that experiences in the diaspora often led Africans to recognise that physical relocation did not necessarily sever their connection with home.

He said this continuing connection was reflected in the high levels of remittances sent by Africans abroad to countries including Nigeria, Ethiopia and Egypt, but argued that diaspora contribution should go beyond financial transfers.

According to Olawale, Africans in the diaspora should also contribute technological know-how, new skills and human capacity to their countries of origin.

For young Nigerians at home, Olawale urged greater participation in democratic processes through voting, holding governments accountable and developing a clear sense of purpose around their contribution to human development.

Similarly, the Founder and Executive Director of Emerging Leaders Foundation-Africa in Kenya, Caren Wakoli, said the transition from Pan-Africanism to Meta-Africanism represented a shift from the traditional emphasis on solidarity and liberation towards building systems, creating value and achieving results.

Wakoli said the concept required Africans to move from a scarcity mindset to an abundance mindset and from dependence on external powers towards greater interdependence among African countries.

A Ghanaian participant, Marydoe Martey of the Young Engineering Female’s Association, said her major lesson from the forum was the need to translate ideas into action.

Bringing the conversation to childhood development and the creative sector, Executive Director of Domino Arts Foundation, Adesola Adesanya, said Africa’s mindset transformation must begin with children.

For the Director General of the Citizenship and Leadership Training Centre under the Federal Ministry of Youth, Rinsola Abiola, Africa’s challenge was not simply a lack of resources or talent, but also mindset, agency and the ability to turn available resources into results.