A leadership style that strives to include more members of citizenry and pays much attention to their collective interests is what Africa needs, senior African leaders have said. 

The leaders shared the message in a debate on the topic, "Leadership for the Africa We Want,” at the ongoing African Development Bank (AfDB) Annual Meetings in Kigali. 

Panelists included President Paul Kagame, Kenyan Deputy President William Ruto, the Chairperson of the AU Commission Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, and Mo Ibrahim, the founder of the Mo Ibrahim Foundation. 

Other panelists were former presidents Thabo Mbeki of South Africa and Olusegun Obasanjo of Nigeria.

President Kagame gave the example of Rwanda as a nation where the use of politics for personal gain led to tragedy.

"Leaders made people believe that they were the majority and the others should be killed. They made people who had nothing believe that they, too, were Hutu power when in fact they had none,” Kagame said.

For bad politics to end in Africa, the President advised that leaders must serve with a clear vision of how to improve the livelihood of those they lead.

"We have to make sure that leaders are there for a purpose.They must deliver, work for transformation and better the life of their people,” he said during a heated debate on why so many leaders on the continent struggle to succeed in improving citizens’ lives.

Kagame said a swift implementation of well-known best practices in leadership that African leaders constantly talk about was needed to bring about significant positive change.

He said current leaders need to build strong institutions that would continue implementing the right vision even after they have retired. 

"The main part (so far) has been in the theoretical part of leadership. What has been lacking is the practical side of it; how do we do what we know that we ought to do?” the President challenged the audience, advising that careful creation of effective institutions was needed.

Succession debate

On the topic of succession, President Kagame warned against its oversimplification.

"People have reduced the issue of succession to an end in itself. People can come do nothing and as long they are succeeded then its okay. But it’s not just about succession, it’s about what you leave behind,” he said.

Kenyan Deputy President William Ruto agreed with the prescription, touting with optimism that a generation of African leaders that knows where to take Africa and how to get there was emerging. 

"We need borders that act as bridges not as roadblocks.We know where we want to go. We know how to get there. It will take leaders that inspire society,” Ruto said. 

AfDB president Donald Kaberuka, had earlier said while introducing the debate that good leaders were needed not only in the political arena, but also in business, alluding to the financial crisis in the US as fault in fiscal leadership.

Speaking on accountability, Mbeki urged leaders to conduct honest peer evaluations.

"We are afraid to speak to one another about what is wrong with Africa’s leaders,” he said.

Dlamini-Zuma urged a collective African vision for leaders on the continent in order to achieve sustainable development for all. 

"We need leadership that believes and invests in the youth,” Dlamini-Zuma said.

The session’s moderator, former CNN presenter Tumi Makgabo, described the issues discussed at the session as "food for thought.”