“Learn From the Past”: UN Deputy Chief Amina Mohammed’s Call to Africa

The Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations, Amina Mohammed, has called on Africa to draw lessons from the experiences of past leaders to prepare the next generation of ethical and visionary leaders.

She made the call during a visit to the Olusegun Obasanjo Leadership Institute in Abeokuta, Ogun State, where she held a closed-door meeting with former President Olusegun Obasanjo.

A Call for Continental Leadership Renewal

ValidViewNetwork gathered that the Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations, Amina Mohammed, has stressed the need for Africa to draw lessons from the experiences of past leaders to prepare the next generation of ethical and visionary leaders.

Mohammed made the call on Wednesday, September 9, 2026, during her visit to the Olusegun Obasanjo Leadership Institute (OOLI) in Abeokuta, Ogun State.

The visit was disclosed in a statement issued on Thursday by Prof. Elvis Otobo, media consultant to the Deputy Chief Executive of OOLI, Prof. Samuel Daramola .

Preserving Leadership Experience

Mohammed described the institute as a platform where leadership experiences could be preserved, discussed, and passed on to future generations.

“OOLI is a place for leadership to be discussed, a leadership to be remembered. Leadership for us to stand on the shoulders of those who have been there is important,” she said.

“Africa as a continent must draw lessons from the experiences of past leaders to prepare the next generation of ethical and visionary leaders.

For us, this is a demonstration of a legacy of a life that is not yet done, is still leading, and this is really important” .

A Strategic Conversation

The statement said Mohammed subsequently held a closed-door meeting with former President Olusegun Obasanjo, founder and Chairman of the Board of Trustees of OOLI.

The meeting focused on peacebuilding, sustainable development, youth leadership and strengthening governance institutions across Africa .

ADVERTISEMENT

Obasanjo said the institute was established to ensure that leadership development in Africa was based on experience, scholarship and practice.

“Our goal at OOLI is to ensure that leadership in Africa is not left to chance. We are building a space where experience, scholarship, and practice meet, so that future leaders do not start from zero, but from a foundation of tested wisdom and global engagement,” Obasanjo said.

A Validation of OOLI’s Work

Speaking on behalf of the Director of the Institute, Gen. Martin Luther Agwai, Daramola described the UN deputy chief’s visit as an endorsement of OOLI’s work in leadership development.

“Having the UN Deputy Secretary-General at OOLI is both an honour and a validation of our work. Her reflections on legacy, continuity, and standing on the shoulders of proven leaders speak directly to why OOLI exists. We are committed to translating these values into concrete programmes that impact communities, institutions, and future leaders across Africa and beyond,” Daramola said.

A Lesson for NigeriaAmina Mohammed’s call for leadership renewal is a reminder that Africa’s greatest resource is not its minerals or its oil, it is its people.

The same leaders who fail to invest in leadership development will never allow their own children to be denied the opportunity to lead. Their families are protected.

For Nigeria, the lesson is clear: leadership is a skill that must be cultivated, not a birthright to be inherited. The same politicians who cling to power will never allow their own children to be excluded from the corridors of power.

But for the continent to prosper, leadership must be opened to the best and brightest, regardless of their connections.Invest in leadership. Mentor the next generation.

And never forget that a nation’s future is determined by the quality of its leaders.