President Paul Kagame has urged Africa’s young people to take ownership of their future, saying meaningful change begins with the courage to make difficult choices and reject circumstances they don’t want.

He made the remarks on Tuesday, August 25, during a presidential panel at the Africa Mindset Reset Forum in Kigali, where he challenged young Africans to develop a sense of purpose and use it to shape not only their own lives but also the societies around them.

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Pointing to his own experience and what it has taught him, he noted that difficult circumstances do not have to determine the course of a person&039;s life.

Here, he recalled that when he was young, the hardships he experienced became a reason to challenge the conditions around him rather than accept them as permanent.

"Together with others, we decided to shape the kind of life we wanted, irrespective of the fact that the life we were looking for might not be lived,” he said.

He acknowledged that choosing a different path can come with serious risks, saying some of those who embarked on the journey did not survive. But he said the decision to pursue a different future remained necessary.

"It was a choice and a decision,” he noted.

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He said young people should similarly understand that their circumstances do not have to define their ambitions, particularly when they are convinced that change is necessary.

Kagame also warned against allowing fear of failure or criticism to prevent people from pursuing a different path.

"The pressure to conform can discourage people from making choices that may initially appear risky or unpopular, even when those choices are aimed at creating a better future.”

The president also criticised the tendency among Africans to admire achievements outside the continent without asking why similar successes cannot be created within Africa.

"Why can’t we do things that make us admire ourselves?” he asked, warning that constantly looking outside Africa for examples of success can reinforce a mindset in which Africans see themselves as subjects of others’ decisions rather than as people capable of shaping their own future.

He called upon young people who aspire to become leaders to be prepared to challenge existing ways of doing things and accept the responsibility that comes with their decisions.

The Africa Mindset Reset Forum is bringing together African political leaders, former heads of state, business executives, academics and emerging leaders to examine the mindset, leadership and institutional changes needed to accelerate the continent&039;s development.