Gov. Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State and former Liberian President, Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, have urged stronger institutions, inclusive leadership, and expanded youth opportunities to drive Africa’s development.

They spoke on Wednesday at the Lagos Leadership Summit 2026, organised by the Lateef Jakande Leadership Academy, bringing together policymakers, partners, and emerging leaders.

Sanwo-Olu, represented by Secretary to the State Government, Mrs Bimbola Salu-Hundeyin, said sponsorship remained the most decisive factor in unlocking youth potential.

“Mentorship builds capacity. Sponsorship creates opportunities. Access gives exposure. All three are interconnected, but only sponsorship provides a platform for tangible impact,” he said.

He noted many young Nigerians have education and skills but lack opportunities to apply them, constraining productivity across sectors.

The governor said sponsorship was not patronage but institutional backing that enabled individuals to translate competence into measurable outcomes.

“What makes you is how you prove yourself after being sponsored,” he added.

In her keynote, Johnson-Sirleaf stressed institution-building, warning that personality-driven governance cannot deliver enduring development.

“Systems that outlive us are built not by personality alone, but by those who relinquish power deliberately and gracefully,” she said.

Drawing on Liberia’s post-war recovery, she highlighted accountability, transparency, rule of law, and restoring public trust.

“The strength and quality of governance define a presidency, but strength alone does not deliver change. Leadership does,” she said.

Sirleaf urged greater inclusion of women in leadership, describing it as Africa’s most underutilised resource.

“One woman at the pinnacle of power does not constitute a system. Symbolism without structural change is just symbolism,” she said.

She warned that excluding women weakens governance outcomes and limits national progress.

“When half your population is excluded from decision-making, you are governing with one hand tied behind your back,” she added.

Earlier, the academy’s Executive Secretary, Dr Ayisat Agbaje-Okunade, urged deliberate system-building and evaluation of leadership by its capacity to create enduring structures.

“In a state like Lagos, leadership is not ideas or visibility. It is measured by what it builds, sustains, and what functions in its absence,” she said.

She questioned whether growing youth interest in leadership translates into meaningful impact.

“Are we building leaders, or producing individuals who simply occupy leadership spaces?” she asked.

Agbaje-Okunade described systems as policies, processes, and institutions ensuring continuity beyond individuals.

“A system ensures something works repeatedly because something reliable has been built,” she said.

She urged young people to see themselves as active contributors within existing structures.

“You are already within the system. The question is whether you engage it with intention or simply react to it,” she said