KIGALI, Rwanda — August 25, 2026 — President Paul Kagame joined senior African political leaders, policymakers and development figures in Kigali on Tuesday for the Africa Mindset Reset Forum, a continental gathering focused on strengthening African leadership, institutions and homegrown approaches to development.
Convened by the African School of Governance (ASG), the two-day forum is taking place at the Kigali Convention Centre on August 25–26 under the theme “From Pan-Africanism to Meta-Africanism.” Organizers say the gathering is designed to examine how the continent can build on the historic principles of African solidarity while translating them into stronger institutions, practical solutions and measurable improvements in people’s lives. The forum is expected to bring together about 1,000 participants from government, business, academia, civil society, media and youth movements.
According to Rwanda’s Presidency, President Kagame arrived at the forum to participate in discussions alongside prominent African figures, including former Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn, Ghanaian Vice President Professor Jane Naana Opoku-Agyemang, former South African President Thabo Mbeki and African Development Bank President Sidi Ould Tah. The high-level conversation is centered on how Africa can move from the ideals of Pan-African unity toward what the forum describes as “Meta-Africanism,” with greater emphasis on how the continent thinks, leads, builds and educates.
President Kagame’s participation places Rwanda at the center of a broader discussion about African ownership of the continent’s development agenda. The forum’s program extends beyond political cooperation to questions involving governance, regional integration, education, human-capital development, natural-resource stewardship and the creation of dignified employment opportunities for Africa’s growing young population.
Hailemariam Desalegn, a co-founder of the African School of Governance, is among the leaders expected to contribute to discussions about turning African aspirations into practical action. Ghana’s state broadcaster reported ahead of the gathering that Vice President Opoku-Agyemang would represent President John Dramani Mahama and participate in discussions alongside President Kagame and Desalegn on translating African unity into concrete results.
The forum also reflects a growing debate among African institutions about whether political independence and continental solidarity must now be accompanied by greater institutional effectiveness, economic self-reliance and confidence in African solutions. Francis Gatare, President of the African School of Governance, has emphasized that Africa possesses substantial natural resources and human capital but needs greater confidence, ambition and implementation capacity to achieve its potential. He has called for African societies and leaders to reject complacency and the tendency to “settle for less.”
The concept of Meta-Africanism presented at the Kigali gathering does not seek to discard Pan-Africanism. Instead, the forum frames it as a possible next stage—preserving the dignity, solidarity and collective identity associated with Pan-African thought while placing greater attention on institutional performance, knowledge, innovation and African-led solutions capable of producing tangible results.
With a large share of participants expected to be young and emerging leaders, the forum is also giving Africa’s younger generation a prominent role in discussions about the continent’s future. Organizers have structured the gathering around intergenerational dialogue, bringing established political and institutional leaders into conversation with students, entrepreneurs, professionals and other emerging voices.
For President Kagame and the other participating leaders, the Kigali discussions raise a central question for Africa’s next generation: how the continent can convert its long-standing aspirations for unity, dignity and self-determination into effective institutions, stronger economies, quality education and opportunities that allow Africans to shape their own future.
As leaders gather in Kigali, the Africa Mindset Reset Forum is positioning the conversation beyond what Africa should become toward the practical question of how Africans themselves can build it.
