Co-founder of Elevate Africa, Her Majesty Olori Atuwatsé III, has called on African leaders to build confidence in homegrown solutions and take greater ownership of the continent’s development, as preparations gather momentum for the Elevate Africa Annual Convening 2026 in Accra.
Speaking at a press conference ahead of the gathering, Olori Atuwatsé III, Queen Consort of the Warri Kingdom in Nigeria's Niger Delta Region, said Africa’s development depended not only on the solutions available to the continent but also on the willingness of its leaders and citizens to believe in and implement them.
Africa doesn’t lack solutions. What we lack is the conviction and the confidence in the solutions that we already have,” she emphasized.
She explained that Elevate Africa was established to change how the continent approaches its development challenges by promoting African-led solutions, bringing leaders together to exchange ideas and developing the next generation of transformational leaders.
The organisation’s approach centres on advocating for existing solutions, convening leaders across sectors and building the capacity of African talent to drive innovation and change.
We don’t complain by adopting a mindset that the colonial masters did this to us, and this is why we’re here. Instead, we’re amplifying the solutions that Africa already has,” she stated.
Olori Atuwatsé III said the convening would provide a platform for leaders from government, business and other sectors to share experiences, identify common priorities and develop solutions that could be adapted across countries.
She stressed that Africa’s youthful population made talent development essential to the continent’s future, adding that Elevate Africa was working with fellows from across Africa and the diaspora to strengthen leadership skills, encourage innovation and reshape narratives about the continent.
For long enough, even from our own mouths as Africans, we always say we’re the problem,” she said. “Can we stop looking at Africa as the problem and start actually creating solutions?”
Ghana as a platform for Africa’s future
Explaining the decision to host the 2026 convening in Accra, Her majesty Olori Atuwatsé III said Ghana’s historical role in the Pan-African movement made it an appropriate setting for discussions about the continent’s future.
She recalled Ghana’s independence in 1957 and the vision of the country’s first President, Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, who linked Ghana’s freedom to the liberation of the wider African continent.
She said Ghana’s historical connections with the African diaspora, including initiatives that have encouraged people of African descent to reconnect with the country, offered lessons in building stronger relationships between Africa and its global communities.
According to her, the continent was at an important turning point and needed to take a more active role in determining its development priorities.
It’s time for Africa to hold the pen and begin to define her future,” she said, arguing that the continent should use changing global circumstances as an opportunity to pursue development on its own terms.
The 2026 gathering follows previous convenings in Ghana in 2024 and Gaborone, Botswana, in 2025. Olori Atuwatse III said the discussions had evolved in response to changing global dynamics and the need for Africa to reconsider its position in the international system.
Women’s leadership and youth priorities
A major focus of the Accra convening will be women’s leadership, with discussions expected to bring together women leaders from Ghana and other parts of Africa, including former Malawi President Joyce Banda and other prominent figures.
Olori Atuwatsé III said the sessions would examine what was needed to enable more African women to lead and influence decision-making across different sectors.
She described African women as builders and bridge-makers whose contributions to society had often taken place outside formal leadership structures.
The discussions will draw on the experiences of established women leaders as well as the ideas and innovations of emerging leaders, with the aim of identifying practical ways to strengthen women’s participation in leadership.
The convening will also feature a youth communique, co-created by young people and Elevate Africa, outlining the future they want and their expectations for the continent.
Olori Atuwatsé III said the organisation intended to use the communique to inform its work and promote youth priorities in the countries where it operates.
Government backs Africa-diaspora engagement
Kofi Okyere Darko, Director of the Diaspora Affairs Office of the President-Ghana (DAOOP), welcomed participants to Ghana on behalf of President John Dramani Mahama and highlighted the country’s historical links with Pan-Africanism and the African diaspora.
He said Ghana remained committed to strengthening relations with people of African descent and advancing discussions on reparatory justice.
Okyere Darko also spoke about efforts to broaden the approach to granting Ghanaian citizenship to members of the diaspora, indicating that the focus was intended to include not only people seeking to return to their ancestral homeland but also individuals who had demonstrated a sustained commitment to Ghana’s development.
He said the government looked forward to the discussions and their contribution to advancing a shared vision for Africa.
Africa’s future will definitely not be the same without the diaspora,” he said, emphasising the importance of involving Africans abroad in the continent’s development.
The convening is expected to bring together African leaders, policymakers, business executives, innovators, fellows and members of the diaspora to discuss leadership, development and opportunities for collective action.
Background: Elevate Africa
Elevate Africa is a leadership and development platform focused on amplifying African-led solutions, connecting influential leaders and nurturing talent across the continent and its diaspora. Its work is built around the belief that Africa can accelerate its development by strengthening confidence in its own ideas, sharing successful approaches and investing in transformational leadership.
Through its annual convening, the platform creates space for cross-sector dialogue on Africa’s future, bringing together people from government, business, civil society and other fields to exchange ideas and explore solutions to shared challenges.
The 2026 edition in Accra places particular emphasis on African agency, women’s leadership, youth participation and engagement with the diaspora, against the backdrop of renewed discussions about the continent’s place in a changing global order.
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