Vice President Professor Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang has underscored the critical role of leadership and strong institutions in shaping Africa’s future, urging the continent to move beyond narratives of “deferred potential” and focus on building systems capable of driving sustainable transformation.

Delivering the keynote address at the Oxford Africa Conference 2026 at the University of Oxford, the Vice President said Africa’s progress would ultimately depend not on how the continent is perceived externally, but on how effectively it organizes itself to compete, innovate, integrate, and build resilient institutions.

“Africa has often been described in terms of deferred potential, as a frontier, as rising, mostly by observers looking in,” Prof. Opoku-Agyemang stated. “What matters now is not so much how Africa is described, but how the continent organizes herself to compete, integrate, innovate, and build at scale.”

Addressing participants under the theme “Anchoring Africa: Grounded Leadership in the Age of Disruption,” the Vice President stressed that while economic projections and demographic data may point to Africa’s enormous opportunities, the continent’s long-term success would depend on credible leadership and institutions capable of functioning consistently and effectively.

“Data may illustrate the breadth of the opportunity and project the possibilities ahead,” she noted. “But our future will ultimately be shaped by leadership, by institutions that are capable of functioning credibly and consistently, and by systems capable of recognizing the full productive potential of her people.”

Prof. Opoku-Agyemang further emphasised the need for African countries to strengthen governance systems that promote accountability, continuity, innovation, and inclusion, particularly at a time of increasing global uncertainty and rapid technological change.

She said the continent must remain deliberate in building institutions that can withstand disruption while ensuring that progress benefits the broader population.

The Vice President’s remarks formed part of broader discussions at the conference on governance, economic transformation, leadership, and Africa’s evolving role in global affairs.

The Oxford Africa Conference, organised by the Oxford University Africa Society, annually convenes policymakers, academics, business leaders, innovators, and students from across Africa and the diaspora to engage on issues shaping the continent’s future.