Governance, integrity and youth: African leaders set agenda in Dubai

By Nathalie Wakam

At the World Government Summit in Dubai, Botswana’s president urged young Africans to remain on the continent and turn their ideas into economic success, while calling for more transparent and accountable governance to ensure that growth benefits all.

According to Botswana’s Ministry for the State President, Hon. Moeti Caesar Mohwasa, the government has launched a forensic audit in response to serious corruption allegations.

“When we got in, we set up a forensic audit, basically because we had had incidents where there were serious allegations of corruption,” he said. “But it’s not just about conducting an audit; it’s also about providing guidance on how to avoid repeating what we went through in the past. So this is very important for us as we rebuild our country because, as we often tell people, we are talking about a second republic.”

The focus on youth and integrity resonated beyond Botswana. Sierra Leone’s Chief Minister, Dr. David Moinina Sengeh, used his career to highlight the impact of young leadership across the continent.

“I became a chief innovation officer at age 31. I became the Minister of Education at age 33. At the World Government Summit, I won the World’s Best Minister Award two years later, at 35, still considered young. I have now become the chief minister of my country,” he said.

“That indicates that young people are not a single type. We’re not just sitting on the continent, waiting to lead. Across the board, whether you’re looking at arts and music, you see what we do, whether it’s sports, whether it’s governance and policy, whether it’s coding and companies, Africans are contributing to the world. And more of that will happen.”

On the role of political leadership and international partnerships, Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa reiterated that states remain sovereign and are free to choose their allies.

He stressed that countries have the right to “choose their partners without having to account for it.”