Young leaders, students and scholars at Makerere University reflected on Africa’s liberation legacy, asking how its achievements can address today’s challenges and shape the continent’s future.
Young Ugandans face struggles that echo those of earlier generations, but the questions they ask of their leaders have changed. That was one of the reflections at the Julius Nyerere Leadership Centre’s (JNLC) Ekyooto conversation at Makerere University on Tuesday evening.
The fireside gathering opened the Nyerere–Museveni Generation Dialogue, held under the theme “Borrowing from the Past, Building the Future: Reimagining Pan-African Leadership for a Sustainable Future.” The event brought young people into a discussion about the gains inherited from Africa’s liberation generation and the responsibilities that come with them.
Cynthia Apili, a Makerere University student and JNLC alumna, drew parallels between the struggles facing young people today and those experienced by previous generations. The difference, she said, lies in the questions young people are asking.
Her reflection placed contemporary youth concerns within Africa’s longer history while highlighting the need to reconsider whether the solutions of earlier generations remain relevant to present-day challenges.
Daniel Ongom-Azik of the National Youth Council urged young people to reflect on the gains secured by earlier generations and avoid losing them.
His contribution raised a practical question for emerging leaders: how can they protect those achievements while making them meaningful to people whose concerns include employment, economic opportunity and a voice in public decisions?
Grace Kabayo, Secretary General of the Pan-African Women’s Organisation, highlighted women’s contribution to Pan-Africanism, discussing their role in shaping the movement and the importance of bringing together people from different cultures and backgrounds to learn from one another.
Her remarks broadened the discussion about Africa’s leadership history, including whose contributions are recognised and how diverse experiences can inform the continent’s future.
JNLC Executive Director Dr Nansozi K. Muwanga linked the dialogue to the ideals associated with Mwalimu Julius Nyerere and President Yoweri Museveni.
Together, the contributions gave the symposium theme a practical focus: honouring earlier leaders requires more than celebrating their achievements. It also calls on the present generation to decide what to preserve, what to question and what to build differently.
President Museveni has previously linked Africa’s unfinished liberation agenda to regional integration. Speaking at the East African Community Heads of State Summit in Arusha on March 7, 2026, he said that although Africa had largely achieved political independence, unity remained an unfinished task. He also argued that larger regional markets were essential for economic transformation and industrialisation.
Museveni’s remarks were made in March and were not part of Tuesday’s Ekyooto conversation, but they echo the dialogue’s broader focus on how the aspirations of earlier generations can be advanced through present-day leadership.
The discussion continues at Wednesday’s JNLC symposium, which is expected to examine trade and entrepreneurship, peace and security, artificial intelligence, public leadership and youth participation in East African integration.
The challenge for young Ugandans extends beyond reflecting on the past. It is whether the lessons drawn from Africa’s leadership history can translate into wider opportunities, stronger public services and institutions that listen and respond to the people they represent.