The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has called on African leaders to break free from the continent’s longstanding dependence on foreign aid and instead focus on building a future driven by innovation, accountability, and self-reliance. Speaking during his keynote address at the 2025 Innovate Africa Conference, held on Thursday at the ECOWAS Conference Hall in Abuja, Wike urged African nations to embrace leadership that prioritizes people-centered governance, visionary thinking, and productive investments in infrastructure and human capital development.

Addressing the theme, *“Reimagining Africa’s Leadership and Investment,”* Wike declared that Africa’s true transformation will not emerge from donor-funded interventions but through the courage and creativity of Africans themselves. According to him, foreign aid, once seen as a path to progress, has become a hindrance that undermines local initiative and distorts developmental priorities. “Development cannot be donated; it must be built,” he stated, emphasizing that Africa should no longer be defined by grants and external assistance but by innovation, indigenous ideas, and collective strength.

The former Rivers State governor maintained that Africa must take ownership of its destiny, saying, “Our future will not be handed to us—we must build it ourselves.” He challenged leaders across the continent to display the courage to lead, the wisdom to invest, and the will to unite for the common good. Wike expressed optimism that the future of global prosperity will be shaped in Africa by Africans, for the benefit of humanity.

At the conference, Wike received the *Innovate Africa Leadership Award 2025*, which he dedicated to President Bola Tinubu and the Nigerian people. He described the award as recognition of purposeful governance and infrastructural transformation in the Federal Capital Territory. He also commended the event organizers for acknowledging leadership rooted in vision and accountability, noting that the ongoing infrastructural renewal in Abuja demonstrates what determined and visionary leadership can achieve.

Speaking further, Wike identified poor leadership as Africa’s most serious problem—not a lack of resources. He lamented that despite the continent’s abundant natural wealth, its progress continues to be hindered by ineffective and self-serving leadership. “Leadership is the fulcrum upon which the destinies of nations turn,” he said. “When it is courageous, visionary, and accountable, challenges become opportunities.” He criticized the prevalence of mediocrity among African leaders, describing it as a plague that has stifled growth for decades.

According to him, Africa now needs a new generation of leaders who are principled, empathetic, and capable of inspiring others. “True leadership is not about power or position, but about serving and guiding,” he explained, stressing that the kind of leadership Africa requires must prioritize care, guidance, and inclusivity over control and command.

Wike went on to commend President Tinubu’s administration for its reform initiatives, particularly the removal of fuel subsidies and the push for decentralization. He praised Tinubu’s policy choices as examples of “leadership that understands sacrifice for the greater good,” adding that such reforms are fostering fiscal stability and reviving investor confidence in Nigeria’s economy.

Calling for a complete reorientation of Africa’s investment mindset, the FCT Minister urged governments to shift from extractive to productive and inclusive investments. He argued that Africa’s greatest asset lies not in its natural resources but in its people. For sustainable development, he said, leadership must create an enabling environment characterized by steady power supply, strong institutions, and transparent governance.

With over 70 percent of Africa’s population under the age of 30, Wike described the continent’s youthful population as a “demographic goldmine” that can power economic transformation if properly harnessed through education, entrepreneurship, and digital innovation. He also highlighted the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) as a major step toward economic independence, likening it to the Lagos Plan of Action and describing it as the foundation for Africa’s “second liberation”—one focused on economic empowerment rather than political struggle.

Wike concluded by reaffirming his belief that the destiny of Africa rests in its own hands, urging leaders to act decisively to transform the continent into a hub of innovation, opportunity, and sustainable growth.