President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has urged African leaders to patronise the services of home-grown think tanks and not foreign consultants, in tackling some of the challenges facing the continent.
The president said with the democratisation of knowledge, “we must empower our youth to innovate in tech hubs across the continent, from Cairo, down through Nairobi, to Lagos, building unicorns without the permission of any gatekeepers. What they lack is not ideas but ecosystems—systems where policy, funding, and political will converge to scale their genius.”
President Tinubu spoke Thursday in Abuja in a speech titled, “Africa in The Post-Idea World” at the former Ekiti state governor, Dr. Kayode Fayemi Commemorative Symposium and Launch of the Amandla Policy and Leadership Institute.
The symposium themed: “Renewing the Pan-African Ideal for the Changing Times: The Policy and Leadership Challenges and Opportunities,” was held to mark Fayemi’s 60th birthday.
“We are not here to be spectators in the post-idea world. The pace of change will not pause for Africa’s historical grievances or applaud our elegies for lost time,” Tinubu said.
Represented by Vice President Kashim Shettima, President Tinubu said: “We are not here to be spectators in the post-ideal world. The pace of change will not pause for Africa’s historical grievances or applaud our elegies for lost time.”
Tinubu said emerging technologies like the Large Language Models of artificial intelligence and machine learning had shattered traditional barriers to knowledge.
He emphasised that the answers to most complex problems were no longer elusive; saying they exist at fingertips, generated in mere seconds.
“The real question is no longer What should we do? — that has been answered a billion times over. The real question is Who will act? Who will rise above inertia and ensure that our ideas do not remain ink on paper, buried in symposiums and policy documents?
“For centuries, Africa was plundered for its resources. For these centuries, we were mostly prophets of lamentation and despair. Today, we face an even worse risk, the risk of being plundered for our potential.
“This is so because the algorithms shaping global power, the AI rewriting economies, the policies dictating climate futures are being coded in distant capitals while we linger in debates over yesterdays.
“The post-idea world forgives no such hesitation. It rewards only those quick to translate their ideas into actions or compete with the best ideologues and scientists from other parts of the world,” he said.
President Tinubu said Fayemi and his wife, Bisi, understood this, stressing that the Amandla Institute for Policy & Leadership Advancement would have been just another think-tank for empty theories and fancy talk shows if it were not the brainchild of minds that have had the privilege of fusing intellectual rigour with actionable courage.
He said: “Dr. Fayemi’s legacy, from pro-democracy activism to public administration, teaches us that leadership in this era demands more than ideation.
“It requires the stamina to execute, the grit to dismantle barriers, and the wisdom to see the inventions of the current wave of the Industrial Revolution not as a threat, but as a tool to reclaim Africa’s agency.”
Tinubu was of the opinion that the founding of Amandla Institute emerges as an antidote to this paralysis, saying the world was not waiting for Africa to catch up.
He added: “Whatever our differences across the continent, one fact that can’t be eroded by our infighting is that we are in the age of machines, and we can’t fight our development dilemma with spears and arrows while the rest of the world is fighting the same battle with missiles and tanks.
“While we parse political rivalries, others parse datasets. While we litigate history, others engineer futures. The train of progress accelerates, yet too many of our leaders cling to old carriages. These are our client-state mentalities, our dependency on foreign blueprints, and our governance by hashtag activism. This is the tragedy of our time.
“We are here not only to generate more ideas but to create executors. We need leaders who wield policy as a scalpel, not a slogan. We need visionaries who see AI as a collaborator, not a competitor. We need a generation of Africans who recognise that Pan-Africanism, renewed for this age, must be rooted in actionable sovereignty.
“The renaissance of this continent will not be gifted. It must be built. For too long, we’ve outsourced our thinking. For too long, we have relied on institutions and ideologies that treat us as consumers, not creators.”
…Gowon speaks
Also speaking, former Head of State, Gen. Yakubu Gowon (rtd) said he was delighted to see a new generation of leaders like Fayemi and his wife, “who embody the values of integrity, compassion, and selfless service.
“As I look back on my own life and legacy, I am reminded of the importance of perseverance, hard work, and dedication to the service of our great nation. Dr. Fayemi’s journey is a shining example of these values, and I have no doubt that he will continue to inspire and motivate others to follow in his footsteps.”
He said Africa needed education systems that aligned with its economic needs, with an emphasis on vocational training and cultural integration that equips people with the skills to thrive in both local and global markets.
To move forward, he said, “the conversation around Pan-Africanism needs to shift toward grounded, locally relevant solutions that directly address the unique challenges within African nations.”
Gowon said: “Pan-Africanism should focus on developing local economies, promoting entrepreneurship, and fostering self-sufficiency in key sectors like agriculture, technology, and renewable energy. This also means advocating for more inclusive, decentralised governance that empowers local communities.”
The former military leader noted that “Africa should develop home-grown conflict resolution methods and peacebuilding systems that reflect local cultures, helping to heal divisions caused by ethnic tensions and the legacy of colonialism.”
