Former Vice President of the World Bank, Dr Oby Ezekwesili, has said the bane of Africa development is poor leadership, noting that the only way out of the predicament is a crop of leaders that have competence, character and capacity.
Speaking at the third Convocation ceremony of the School of Politics, Policy and Governance (SPPG) on Saturday in Abuja, the former minister of Education said the leadership school was designed to break the supply issue pointed out by her research that focused on the nexus between the quality of economic performance of African countries using Nigeria as a profile country.
She said in all spheres of “Africa’s failure what ultimately concludes the matter is that Africa’s bane is poor leadership”, adding that we have said it so often in the continent that it is like we have decided it is our destiny.
“But SPPG is our answer, response to that problem, we are saying that it is not our destiny to be governed by the worst amongst us. If you reject a situation, then you must act to correct that situation.
“Africa’s change is certain, is inevitable, but the change will not happen without intentionality in correcting the anomaly. If we succeed in correcting the leadership anomaly that we have in the continent, Africa will claim the twenty first century.”
“The charge today as the third cohort of graduates of the SPPG is that when that history of those that turn the corner for Africa by providing the quality leadership that was necessary for its business, citizens sector and every human endeavor to succeed is written that your name is mentioned.
“Africa has a leadership crisis, those who want to say we are doing okay, don’t talk too much, we understand why they are doing okay, because they and their family are doing okay. But it is not good enough. In the school you have been told that once you look at the data, you will know the problem.”
In his keynote address, Gift Ostallos Siziba a Zimbabwean parliamentarian and National Deputy Spokesman of the Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) in Zimbabwe, said Africa is troubled today because some of the people that have been given the responsibility to lead do not value the power of ideas.
“Do not value the power of principles, we have been talking about capacity, integrity, commitment, resilience because those things ought to be practiced.”
He said most African leaders lack those important values and Africa that we need is the one that puts forward capacity and beauty of ideas, adding that you can lose everything, but don’t lose hope. “There are many challenges, but don’t lose hope in the future of Africa.”
Siziba charged the graduands to keep moving, saying that his political Party is led by a very young Zimbabwean political crusader with a modern vision and that at the age of forty he ran for president, but the election in Zimbabwe has issues just like in many African countries “we have problem like other African countries about election, but we will not give up.
“We know that one day we are going to run our country and change the situation in our country. That is our objective and intention. So I challenge the graduands never lose hope, never tire.”
