Africas Young are ready to take up leadership, but they need patience. The challenge for Africa has always been a leadership crisis in the continent. There has never been a better time for the young in Africa to take up leadership positions, and endear themselves to the electorate. Africa is the worlds youngest continent, and its average age is just 19 years. The continent boasts of a rapidly expanding middle class that is widely exposed and ready to steer the Africa to the next direction. But how can the Africas young make sure that they do take up leadership positions in the continent? However, age alone is not a predictor of leadership. Therefore, young Africans will have to be mentored, and stay in the right atmosphere for them to develop their leadership potential. Too often, many voters are skeptical since they cant differentiate between the younger leaders and the older leaders. In deed, some young leaders in the continent have engaged in the same looting as the older leaders. To such voters, there is nothing that necessarily indicates that the younger leaders are better than the older leaders. Even though these allegations are well meaning and founded on facts, there are some very vocal young leaders whose voices have been buried deep in the clutter of noise. There are silent change makers in the continent who are continuing to do great things with absolutely no recognition. It is such leaders that we must identify and nurture. Too often, we have tended to silence these lone voices, and its time that we changed our approach to them, encouraged them, and gave them the proper tools for them to succeed as young leaders. After all, we would all benefit from a youthful leadership that is capable of creating a peaceful and prosperous continent, a continent that will be able to rise above the abyss of misrule, and safely enter the league of well governed states and regions.
Posted on: Tue, 27 Jan 2015 13:20:57 +0000