Experts from various fields across Africa have converged on Lagos for a two-day business leadership summit aimed at driving economic prosperity in Africa.

The summit, themed “Driving Africa’s growth through innovation, strategic leadership, and collaboration,” drew participants from the public and private sectors across Africa, Europe and the Americas.

Speaking at the opening session on Tuesday, 12 May, the keynote speaker and Chief Executive Officer of The RB Company, Dr Robert Burale of Kenya, underscored the urgency of the continent’s development, challenging Africans to take the bull by the horns to achieve desired economic prosperity.

Delivering a presentation titled “Leadership beyond Titles: Inspiring growth, driving change and creating legacy,” Burale explained that true leadership involves vision that extends beyond personality.

“Leadership is being selfless,” Burale said. “As long as one person looks up to you, you are a leader.

“The problem, especially with African leaders, is that we do not want to build things that outlive us. That is why when a leader dies, their vision often dies with them.”

He urged current leaders to look decades ahead. “We must think 50, 60, or 100 years into the future. The things we enjoy today are the innovations of people we never knew. True leadership is about what you do for humanity, which is why some leaders lose relevance the moment they leave office.”

Burale also called for a fundamental shift from consumption to production. “It is sad when fish, farm produce, and raw materials are taken out of Africa, only to be brought back as finished products affordable only to the rich.

“We must change that narrative. We need young Africans who can build cars and incorporate global companies, not just participate in social media dance challenges,” he said.

Highlighting the power of regional integration, Burale noted the presence of delegates from Senegal, Botswana, Kenya and Nigeria, saying: “If we work as a team, no force can stop us. Past leaders like Julius Nyerere, Kwame Nkrumah, Obafemi Awolowo, and Nelson Mandela are remembered because of their impactful lives. It is time to build an Africa that our grandchildren will be proud of.”

Also speaking, family life coach Mr Praise Fowowe highlighted home-grown values as the bedrock of societal change.

He noted that core principles such as punctuality, respect, resilience, integrity and discipline are learned at home rather than in school.

Lamenting the collapse of these values, Fowowe advocated for a cultural reset. “Until we re-invest in the family system, Africa may continue to take a back seat in the global economy. Our greatest asset is not technology per se, but our family values.”

Mrs Benjamins-Laniyi, the Mandate Secretary for the FCT Women’s Affairs Secretariat, noted on her part that Africa needs structures, institutional systems and financial leadership more than it needs independent businessmen.

“The future of Africa will not be determined solely by capital, but by strategy, foresight, and illumination,” she stated. “In Africa, we often celebrate visibility over vision, and influence over infrastructure. We need transformational leaders who return to fundamentals.”

She urged a shift from “dependency to design, survival to structure, competition to collaboration, and noise-making to nation-building.”

She added that Africa does not suffer from a lack of talent, but from disconnected systems.

Mr Funso Doherty, an accountant and politician, expressed disappointment over the continent’s lack of effective leadership despite its vast resources.

He criticised the tendency to measure governance by physical infrastructure rather than human development indicators such as poverty alleviation, maternal health, life expectancy, literacy and access to clean water.

“Governance is about the people,” Doherty said. “When a nation is failing, do not just ask how many bridges it has built. Look at the human statistics.

“While the private sector has a role to play, the primary burden lies with the government to drive genuine development.”

Earlier, the convener of the summit and founder of the Solid Foundation Group, Mrs Adetoun Otepola, stated that the initiative stems from a conviction that Africa can attain economic greatness if political and professional leaders step up.

“It baffles me that Africa remains economically backward despite vast human and material resources,” Otepola noted. “To change this, we must be more intentional in our respective areas of expertise.”

She explained that the African Business and Leadership Summit will run annually as a movement to foster strategic partnerships and actionable change.

“This is not a mere talking shop; it is a call to action. Africa must not remain poor. We must commit our resources to lift this continent, just as citizens of developed nations did to build their countries. We can do the same, and the time is now,” she concluded.

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