Ablakwa calls for new African leadership paradigm focused on youth and shared prosperity

Ghana’s Minister for Foreign Affairs, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, has called on African leaders to explore new ways of sharing the continent’s wealth to create opportunities for Africa’s young people.

He made the call on Friday, August 29, 2026, when he addressed the African Union Executive Council’s 26th Extraordinary Session on Conflict Resolution and Prevention in Angola.

“How can we share Africa’s rich resources for the African young people? This is a new paradigm that we need for our continent,” Mr. Ablakwa said.

The Foreign Affairs Minister called for a new approach to addressing the root causes of conflict across the continent.

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“We have pursued all these AU paradigms and protocols and convened meetings to recapitalize the Peace Fund. But perhaps what we should begin to recapitalize, in all humility, is our heart and our mindset,” he said.

“Can we be more tolerant of each other? Can we be more compassionate? Can we be more visionary about the root causes of conflict?”

Mr. Ablakwa said financial resources alone would not resolve Africa’s challenges without a fundamental change in leadership and approach.

“We can have $1 billion, $10 billion, $100 billion in a Peace Fund, but it will mean nothing if we do not change course, if we do not adopt a new leadership paradigm,” he stated.

He referred to a report by the International Organization for Migration last year, which stated that more than 2,180 young Africans died in the Mediterranean while searching for better opportunities.

The Minister called for a renewed commitment to job creation, industrialisation, decentralisation and the equitable sharing of Africa’s resources.

He said Africa must find ways to ensure that the wealth generated from resources such as diamonds, gold, bauxite, oil and gas creates opportunities for its people, particularly young Africans.

According to him, such a new approach would be necessary if Africa is to address what he described as the sad and dehumanising circumstances that continue to push young people to leave the continent in search of better opportunities elsewhere.