Akinwumi Adesina, President of the African Development Bank (AfDB) has stated that Africa must act fast to address its challenges and create opportunities for its young people, so that the japa culture can be reversed.
Speaking during an interview with ARISE NEWS on the urgent need for transformation, Adesina stressed that Africa’s underdevelopment must not be accepted as the norm and that solving big problems quickly is key to securing a prosperous future.
“I’m impatient with Africa’s underdevelopment, and I think we need to move much faster,” Adesina said. “Why should everything good in African people’s lives be in the future? We’ve got to be able to solve big problems very quickly because the poor can’t wait.”
He also emphasised that success is not about individual efforts but about building strategic alliances and partnerships to drive impactful change.
He said, “I don’t accept that African institutions need to be mediocre. I’m not used to mediocrity at all. I believe in big transformational things but I don’t believe in the power of I or me. I believe in the power of us, the ability to get people to focus, to work together. It’s not about ego, it’s not about you. It’s about the ability to forge alliances and strategic partnerships that bring the future of those poor people that we’re supposed to be serving, bring it with a high discount rate to now.”
Adesina further noted that a major concern is the ongoing exodus of young Africans seeking better opportunities abroad. He described this as a market failure, blaming financial institutions for failing to invest in young people.
“I look at all the commercial banks in Africa, and I see that we’re not lending to young people. All our young people are flying out, and that makes me ashamed as the president of the African Development Bank. I can’t take it,” he said.
To address this, he said the AfDB is launching Youth Entrepreneurship Investment Banks, dedicated solely to providing capital for young entrepreneurs. Adesina believes this initiative will unlock Africa’s potential and foster homegrown tech innovators and business leaders.
“Why can’t we have Zuckerbergs coming out of Africa? Why can’t we have Bill Gates coming out of Africa?” he asked, urging for more support for African youth to build successful businesses on the continent.
Adesina therefore made it clear that Africa cannot afford to delay solving its problems. The continent’s youth need investment, trust, and confidence to thrive. If given the right resources, they can drive economic growth and innovation rather than seek opportunities elsewhere.
