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By Chukwuma Umeorah
Young innovators and civic leaders from across Africa have reiterated the need for the continent to take ownership of its digital transformation agenda, as the Young African Network for Global Goals (YANGG) convened its Africa The Future Conference 2025 in Lagos.
The conference, themed “Innovating Africa’s Economy Through Digital Transformation and Civic Engagement,” centred on the role of young people in shaping Africa’s technological future. YANGG Global President, Kelechi Ndieze, said the continent must define its own narrative and avoid reliance on external models that do not reflect African realities.
“For so long, we’ve had people share the narrative of Africa. They’ve written their own story about Africa. But today, we want to set up a movement that’s going to tell that African story in an African way, in an African light,” he said.
Ndieze noted that with over 60 per cent of Africa’s population under the age of 25, the demographic advantage should become a productive asset. He cautioned that many young people remain consumers rather than creators of solutions, driven in part by a mindset shaped by poverty.
He recalled witnessing young voters willing to exchange their four-year voting rights for as little as one thousand naira during a 2019 campaign period, linking the situation to “poverty of the mind” rather than outright corruption.
“One of the things we are set to do is to transform the mind of African youths from just being consumers to becoming active producers. We want to grow homemade solutions that fit African markets,” he said.
Rejecting the assumption that Africa must depend on Silicon Valley methodologies, he insisted on an approach rooted in local knowledge and innovation. “The solution that will transform this continent is not one that will come from imported templates. It’s not one that will come from Europe. It’s not one that will come from America. It is the one that will come from you and I seated in this hall, from local creativity applied to local changes, using local strategies to solve global issues,” he stated.
Ndieze identified the continent’s structural limitations—weak institutions, unemployment, inadequate digital infrastructure, and social exclusion—as barriers that require deliberate policy and investment to overcome. He argued that millions remain excluded from digital access, and that the benefits of digitalisation are not evenly distributed.
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“We must ensure that digital transformation is not limited to the privileged few, but reaches the farmer in Kano, the artisan in Gambia, the trader in Kenya, and the student in Bamako,” he said, adding that internet access should no longer be considered a luxury.
He further called for institutional reforms that support innovation and remove bureaucratic barriers. “We must build an ecosystem that supports African innovation, where government policy enables, not constrains,” he said, while stressing that the task of transforming the continent rests on Africans themselves. “No saviour is coming to save Africa. No messiah is coming to transform Africa. It is you and I that must take the responsibility of shaping Africa. That is why we are here.”
Earlier in her remarks, YANGG Nigeria Country Director, Grace Ugbonma, said the event was designed to strengthen a growing community of emerging leaders across the continent. “This is a gathering of changemakers who are shaping the future and paving the way for a better Africa,” she said, expressing optimism that participants would drive change in critical sectors.
A keynote address delivered by Kayode-Nissi Joshua on behalf of Moses Faya, Founder of Tech Policy Advisory, focused on shifting Africa’s digital economy from basic connectivity to real capability. He observed that while more than 500 million Africans now have internet access, the depth of engagement remains shallow.
“If a young person in rural Nigeria can get online but cannot afford the data to take an online course, are they truly connected?” he asked, emphasising the need for investments in digital literacy and foundational skills.
Country Director of the Challenge Fund for Youth Employment, Amarachi Kalu, said young people must transition from participants to co-creators in the continent’s economic future. He maintained that training interventions achieve limited impact without clear pathways to employment and value creation.
The conference attracted delegates from across Nigeria and featured conversations on digital inclusion, regulation, infrastructure, governance and the future of work. YANGG operates across several African countries, including Nigeria, Gambia, Kenya and Ghana, promoting youth leadership, enterprise development and the attainment of the Sustainable Development Goals.
