Uploaded July 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
What will it take to renew leadership and governance in Africa?
In this keynote address at the Thabo Mbeki School, distinguished African scholar Professor Toyin Falola examines the institutional, ethical and intellectual foundations required for Africa’s renewal.
Speaking under the theme “Leadership and Governance for Africa’s Renewal: Reclaiming Agency, Ethical Leadership and Transformative Governance in the 21st Century,” Professor Falola argues that Africa’s governance challenges cannot be understood solely as political or constitutional problems. They must also be confronted as moral, cultural and epistemological questions.
He proposes six interconnected pillars for transformative African governance:
• Epistemic freedom
• Ethical leadership
• Cultural grounding
• Institutional accountability
• Pan-African collaboration
• Citizen-centred government
Professor Falola calls on African societies to draw confidently from the continent’s intellectual traditions, cultural knowledge and historical experiences while engaging critically with contemporary technologies and global systems.
Among the central propositions advanced in the lecture is the need to combine ancestral intelligence with artificial intelligence. He cautions that Africa cannot afford either to reject technological change or to abandon the accumulated knowledge embedded in its own intellectual and cultural traditions.
The lecture also examines corruption, state capture, what Professor Falola characterises as “family capture”, democratic recession, colonial institutional legacies, public trust, informal systems of governance and the relationship between political leadership and durable institutions.
During the question-and-answer session, Professor Falola responds to questions concerning:
• Youth unemployment and the migration of skilled Africans
• Ethical leadership and political accountability
• Artificial intelligence and data colonialism
• Citizen participation in governance
• Relations between African states
• Pan-African cooperation and continental institutions
• The role of universities in Africa’s transformation
• The responsibilities of citizens in shaping the continent’s future
His central message is unequivocal: Africa’s governance crisis is not caused by a lack of diagnosis or ideas alone. It also reflects failures of political will, accountability and collective responsibility.
Governance reform, he argues, cannot be treated as a luxury or delegated entirely to political leaders. Scholars, universities, institutions, communities and citizens must recognise that they are also participants in Africa’s renewal.
Professor Toyin Falola is a University Distinguished Teaching Professor at the University of Texas at Austin and Chair of the International Advisory Committee of the Thabo Mbeki School of Public and International Affairs. His extensive scholarship has made a significant contribution to African history, African studies, governance, culture and the intellectual traditions of Africa and its diaspora.
The seminar was convened by the Thabo Mbeki School of Public and International Affairs at the University of South Africa as part of its commitment to critical dialogue, African-centred knowledge production, ethical leadership and the renewal of governance across the continent.
Join the conversation:
Which of the six pillars identified by Professor Falola should African governments and institutions prioritise?
Subscribe to the Thabo Mbeki School’s YouTube channel for further seminars, lectures, policy dialogues and scholarly discussions on Africa’s development, governance and place in the world.
#AfricanAgency #EthicalLeadership #TransformativeGovernance
0:00 Livestream opening
29:21 Programme begins
30:02 Framing the discourse
37:30 Opening and welcome address
46:29 Introduction of Professor Toyin Falola
50:57 Keynote address
1:10:18 Six pillars for Africa’s renewal
1:15:56 Epistemic freedom and African agency
1:25:00 Ethical leadership and public trust
1:36:06 Cultural grounding and governance
1:45:30 Institutional accountability
2:00:12 Governance reform cannot be postponed
2:04:07 Summary and reflections
2:08:06 Question-and-answer session
2:30:19 Artificial intelligence and data colonialism
2:43:10 States, political interests and power
2:49:19 Imagining a hopeful African future
2:51:29 Closing remarks
What will it take to renew leadership and governance in Africa?
In this keynote address at the Thabo Mbeki School, distinguished African scholar Professor Toyin Falola examines the institutional, ethical and intellectual foundations required for Africa’s renewal.
Speaking under the theme “Leadership and Governance for Africa’s Renewal: Reclaiming Agency, Ethical Leadership and Transformative Governance in the 21st Century,” Professor Falola argues that Africa’s governance challenges cannot be understood solely as political or constitutional problems. They must also be confronted as moral, cultural and epistemological questions.
He proposes six interconnected pillars for transformative African governance:
• Epistemic freedom
• Ethical leadership
• Cultural grounding
• Institutional accountability
• Pan-African collaboration
• Citizen-centred government
Professor Falola calls on African societies to draw confidently from the continent’s intellectual traditions, cultural knowledge and historical experiences while engaging critically with contemporary technologies and global systems.
Among the central propositions advanced in the lecture is the need to combine ancestral intelligence with artificial intelligence. He cautions that Africa cannot afford either to reject technological change or to abandon the accumulated knowledge embedded in its own intellectual and cultural traditions.
The lecture also examines corruption, state capture, what Professor Falola characterises as “family capture”, democratic recession, colonial institutional legacies, public trust, informal systems of governance and the relationship between political leadership and durable institutions.
During the question-and-answer session, Professor Falola responds to questions concerning:
• Youth unemployment and the migration of skilled Africans
• Ethical leadership and political accountability
• Artificial intelligence and data colonialism
• Citizen participation in governance
• Relations between African states
• Pan-African cooperation and continental institutions
• The role of universities in Africa’s transformation
• The responsibilities of citizens in shaping the continent’s future
His central message is unequivocal: Africa’s governance crisis is not caused by a lack of diagnosis or ideas alone. It also reflects failures of political will, accountability and collective responsibility.
Governance reform, he argues, cannot be treated as a luxury or delegated entirely to political leaders. Scholars, universities, institutions, communities and citizens must recognise that they are also participants in Africa’s renewal.
Professor Toyin Falola is a University Distinguished Teaching Professor at the University of Texas at Austin and Chair of the International Advisory Committee of the Thabo Mbeki School of Public and International Affairs. His extensive scholarship has made a significant contribution to African history, African studies, governance, culture and the intellectual traditions of Africa and its diaspora.
The seminar was convened by the Thabo Mbeki School of Public and International Affairs at the University of South Africa as part of its commitment to critical dialogue, African-centred knowledge production, ethical leadership and the renewal of governance across the continent.
Join the conversation:
Which of the six pillars identified by Professor Falola should African governments and institutions prioritise?
Subscribe to the Thabo Mbeki School’s YouTube channel for further seminars, lectures, policy dialogues and scholarly discussions on Africa’s development, governance and place in the world.
#AfricanAgency #EthicalLeadership #TransformativeGovernance
0:00 Livestream opening
29:21 Programme begins
30:02 Framing the discourse
37:30 Opening and welcome address
46:29 Introduction of Professor Toyin Falola
50:57 Keynote address
1:10:18 Six pillars for Africa’s renewal
1:15:56 Epistemic freedom and African agency
1:25:00 Ethical leadership and public trust
1:36:06 Cultural grounding and governance
1:45:30 Institutional accountability
2:00:12 Governance reform cannot be postponed
2:04:07 Summary and reflections
2:08:06 Question-and-answer session
2:30:19 Artificial intelligence and data colonialism
2:43:10 States, political interests and power
2:49:19 Imagining a hopeful African future
2:51:29 Closing remarks
