By Stephen V. Lansana
Lagos, Nigeria – August 28, 2026: The Director General of the Sierra Leone Local Content Agency (SLLCA), Fodeba Daboh, has called on African institutional leaders, regulators, and policymakers to prioritize empowering the continent’s next generation of leaders.
Speaking at the 3rd Africa Emerging Leaders Conference and Awards (AfELCA) in Lagos, organised by the West African Leadership and Empowerment Centre (WALEC) under the theme “Strengthening Leadership for Africa’s Sustainable Future,” Daboh stressed that Africa’s sustainable future depends on deliberate investment in its youth.
He urged leaders to move beyond rhetoric and embrace structured mentorship, capacity development, and regional solidarity. “No single national success story secures Africa’s future on its own. The leaders this continent needs will be those who choose collaboration over competition,” Daboh said.
Highlighting the work of the Local Content Agency, he explained that internships must translate into real project exposure, supplier development into contracts, and skills transfer clauses into measurable outcomes. He emphasized that empowering young professionals today will produce the transformational leaders Africa celebrates tomorrow.
Daboh further called on institutions to open boardrooms, project sites, and decision-making tables to emerging leaders, not as charity but as sound strategy. “Africa’s future will not be led by a single generation acting alone. An unbroken chain of transformational leaders will lead it, each deliberately equipped, tested, and trusted by those who came before,” he noted.
The AfELCA conference brought together leaders and experts from across Africa to discuss governance, economic development, and inclusive leadership. It climaxed with an awards ceremony celebrating individuals whose innovation, excellence, and social impact are contributing meaningfully to Africa’s development.