Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State has called on African leaders to translate vision into actionable steps to ensure effective governance in the continent.
According to him, African leaders must move beyond rhetoric and take concrete steps to drive positive change.
He stated this in Abuja during a two-day inaugural meeting of ‘Elevate Africa: The Africa We See’, convened by the Olu of Warri, Ogiame Atuwatse III and his wife, Olori Atuwatse III to chart a new narrative in Africa.
Sanwo-Olu emphasised the need for African leaders to create an enabling environment to properly harness the creativity and talents of their youthful population.
He said, “There is a need to create an enabling environment for all Africans, including women and the physically challenged. It is only when we do that we can harness the potential, not just from a privileged few. Let everybody participate.
“Again, we have just unveiled a leadership programme which we believe will be another testament to having a new level of African leaders doing the right thing. It is not just to verbalise these things. We need to start making them actionable and the future will definitely be bright for all of us. That is why I am here.”
At the event a former Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Interior, Dere Awosika, said that she was elated to see the exploits recorded by youths, who she said, are leveraging digital technology to drive social change, create jobs, and transform entire industries.
She said it is the responsibility of the media to ensure that African stories are told loudly, boldly, and consistently.
Awosika said, “For too long, the stories told about Africa have been one-dimensional. Africa has often been cast as a land of problems to be solved, rather than a continent of solutions.
“Our stories have focused on poverty rather than prosperity, conflict rather than community, struggle rather than strength. As a result, both Africans and those outside Africa have been conditioned to see the continent through this narrow lens.
“However, we have the power to change that narrative. We need to tell the stories of Africa’s innovation; stories of African entrepreneurs and creatives leading the way in fashion, music, and film; stories of young Africans leveraging digital technology to drive social change, create jobs, and transform entire industries. It should be stories of Africans breaking new grounds in medical science and engineering.”
Friday Olokor
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