The conversation about Africa today cannot be separated from the rising consciousness of its youth. Across the continent and within the diaspora, a new generation is beginning to question inherited systems, challenge long-standing assumptions, and reimagine what an authentically African future should look like. This awakening is not accidental but the result of lived realities, historical reflection, and a growing urgency to correct structural imbalances that have shaped Africa’s trajectory for decades.
Indeed, Africa of today is not the Africa of yesterday. While progress is evident in areas such as connectivity, political awareness, and global engagement, persistent challenges in education, governance, culture, and spirituality continue to demand honest scrutiny. The African youth stand at a critical crossroads: whether to perpetuate borrowed systems that often fail to reflect local realities, or to forge innovative, homegrown solutions that align with the continent’s unique social, economic, and cultural context.
This statement from Osabarima Kwaku Adu therefore emerges as both a reflection and a call to action. It invites young Africans to take ownership of the continent’s direction by engaging deeply with key pillars of transformation—from education and religion to trade, culture, and politics. More importantly, it underscores a unifying vision: that the rebirth of Africa depends not only on institutional reforms, but on the conscious, collective participation of its youth, both on the continent and across the diaspora.
The Africa of today is different from yesterday. So many things have changed from bad to worse and others good to best. When we evaluate the stages the Blackman has passed through till today, there are so many factors we need to consider and insist on changing them for our own well-being. The things liable for changes are in both physical and spiritual terms:
- Education. Africa needs serious educational reforms. Africa is tailoring Western systems of education, whereby our resources cannot match the implementation of that knowledge bought from the Western World. When an African achieve professions by virtue of a European education, like a Doctor, Accountant, Lawyer, etc, owing to financial constraints, the one turns to charge exorbitant prices to match their services and therefore, refuse to save lives needed. This results in many people dying in large numbers because of poverty. Therefore, the Youth of Africa have to combine knowledge with the Blacks in Diaspora to find how they can embark on research and development to define appropriate systems suiting us as people.
- RELIGION: There is serious spiritual confusion in the minds of many Africans, at home and abroad, coming to hear that the Quran and the Bible were used by the slave masters, and again watching the role religious indoctrinations are playing in Black people’s lives. Spiritual revolution must come into play in order to structure how and who can consider himself a spiritual leader. One of Africa’s greatest damage stems from religion. It is about time the Youth decide on it.
- CULTURE: Africans’ way of life must be checked. We are getting into everything without considering the aftermath. Freedom is expensive; therefore, the international rights we have as humans should not be used to our detriment. The elders and the youth should engage in talking terms and examples to define our suitable cultural values. Africa is rising, and culture and traditions are the most important things to differentiate us for the better. Culture and traditions must be considered more in establishing our governmental institutions. Kings and Queens must be given a larger share in our governance.
- TRADE: The Youth of Africa should not distance themselves from the day-to-day running of our resources in traditions with the outside world. Contracts must be reviewed to suit today’s world. Africa cannot be taken for granted any more. The youth must be educated in line with the numerous resources at our disposal and work on them in the micro and macro environments.
- POLITICAL PARTIES: The Youth can check on Political Parties if they are not destroying their future for selfish political gains. One Africa is coming to realisation; therefore, Africa’s resources must be protected, and unfavourable systems put in place many years ago, and others in the hands of various governments scrutinised.
The President of Ghana’s move, asking for reparatory justice, should be seen as a collective demand by all Africans at home and abroad. This time hence, a new Africa is born. Let the youth rejoice in their full participation in running the Continent with our brothers and sisters in Diaspora.
*Osabarima Kwaku Adu serves as the CEO of the Black Restoration Foundation, an impactful organisation rooted in the Netherlands. His leadership not only drives the foundation’s mission but also inspires positive change and empowerment within the community.
