The occasion was the maiden convocation ceremony of the University of Offa, Kwara State. The assignment appeared straightforward: celebrate the pioneer graduates, the university’s faculty, and Ghana’s President, John Mahama, recipient of the institution’s Special Leadership Award. Then, deliver a speech befitting the honour conferred on the Ghanaian leader. Date was Monday, 12 October 2026.
But as Mahama’s Chief of Staff, Dr Julius Debrah, who represented his boss mounted the podium, it became clear that the audience was in for something more than a conventional lecture on public service leadership.
What unfolded was an engaging masterclass on enterprise, innovation, resilience and Africa’s development possibilities. It was a compelling argument for why university graduates must look beyond certificates and the search for salaried employment to identify society’s problems, create value and transform knowledge into sustainable livelihoods.
For the 40 minutes he held the floor, Debrah kept his audience engrossed with a presentation that blended intellectual depth with practical wisdom. His listeners included the university’s pioneer graduates, members of its Governing Council and faculty, captains of industry and political leaders, among them Kwara State Deputy Governor, Mr. Kayode Alabi, who represented Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq.
The two-term Chief of Staff to President Mahama began on a celebratory note, congratulating the pioneer graduates on their historic achievement. Being first, he reminded them, was both an honour and a responsibility.
He said: ‘The Class of 2026 will forever be the first, and that distinction carries honour and responsibility. Others will follow the path you establish’.
It was a fitting opening. But the applause that greeted the graduates’ historic milestone soon gave way to a more searching conversation about what awaited them beyond the university gates.
Taking his cue from the convocation theme, From Certificate to Enterprise, Debrah offered a thoughtful examination of the realities confronting Africa’s newest crop of graduates. His central message was simple but profound: education must be more than a passport to employment; it must also be a springboard for enterprise, innovation and problem-solving. He acknowledged that studying hard, earning a degree and securing a good job remained legitimate aspirations.
For generations, these had represented the conventional rewards of academic achievement. But in a rapidly changing world, he argued, a certificate alone could no longer be the final destination.
‘Today’s world,also needs people who can identify problems, create value, adapt to change, use technology intelligently and open opportunities for others. That is the journey from certificate to enterprise’, the two-term Chief of Staff maintained.
And enterprise, he was quick to clarify, was not simply another word for setting up a company or becoming an entrepreneur.
‘Enterprise means more than starting a company’, he said emphatically. ‘It is a mindset of initiative, creativity, problem-solving and resilience. Whether you enter business, public service, academia or a profession, that mindset will remain a great asset’.
In other words, the graduate who finds a better way to deliver a public service, the researcher who develops a practical solution to an everyday challenge, and the professional who creates opportunities for others are all contributing to the enterprise mindset Africa desperately needs.
For Debrah, this shift in thinking has become particularly urgent because the graduates are entering a world being reshaped by artificial intelligence, digital technology, climate pressures and changing patterns of international trade. These forces, he observed, are rewriting the rules of opportunity, and Africa cannot afford to sit on the sidelines.
He submitted: ‘Africa cannot remain a spectator. We must help shape these changes and make them work for our people’.
He urged the graduates to recognise that their generation possessed opportunities that previous generations could scarcely imagine. With digital tools, an idea conceived in Offa, Accra or Lagos could reach customers and collaborators across national boundaries.
Already, young Africans are building enterprises in financial services, agriculture, healthcare, the creative industries and digital services. The new graduates, he said, should see themselves not merely as beneficiaries of this transformation but as potential drivers of it.
Yet, while challenging young people to think differently, Debrah did not place the entire burden of Africa’s economic transformation on their shoulders. Governments, he insisted, had an equally important responsibility to create an environment in which youthful energy, creativity and ambition could thrive.
Quality education, reliable infrastructure, access to finance, predictable regulation and decent employment were not optional extras, he argued, but essential ingredients for an economy capable of turning ideas into productive ventures.
‘Governments must create the conditions in which enterprise can flourish through quality education, reliable infrastructure, access to finance, predictable regulation and decent employment’, he said.
His challenge to the graduates was equally direct: ‘Young people also have a role. Ask what problem you can solve, what service you can improve and what value you can create’.
It was a call for a meeting of responsibilities: governments must open the doors of opportunity, while young people must be prepared to walk through them with ideas, initiative and determination.
African universities must move beyond certificates
From the responsibilities of government and graduates, Debrah turned his attention to another institution central to Africa’s transformation: the university.
Using the University of Offa as his immediate point of reference, he commended its leadership for laying the foundation for the institution’s future. But his message extended well beyond the university’s walls to Africa’s wider community of higher education institutions.
Universities, he argued, must do more than transmit knowledge and award qualifications. They must equip students to test ideas, solve practical problems, develop marketable innovations and create value from what they learn.
He changed: ‘African universities must remain central to this work. A modern university must teach students to think, test ideas and solve problems. Entrepreneurship, digital skills, research and critical thinking should reach across disciplines. Universities should work with industry and help promising students turn final-year projects into useful products and viable enterprises’.
The implication was unmistakable: a promising research project should not end its journey in a dissertation, just as a bright idea should not remain trapped in a lecture room. With the right support, academic work can become a product, a service, a business or a solution to a pressing social need.
He, therefore, encouraged the University of Offa to make enterprise, research and innovation defining features of its institutional identity.
There was also a personal and diplomatic dimension to his appeal.
Debrah told the audience that the university’s Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Kazeem Alagbe Gbolagade, has an academic connection with Ghana through his previous service at the University for Development Studies.
The Chief of Staff expressed hope that this shared academic experience would provide a platform for stronger partnerships across Africa.
Such collaboration, he suggested, could help universities exchange knowledge, build research networks and create opportunities for students and academics to contribute to the continent’s development.
But the bigger challenge confronting Africa, in his view, was not simply how much it produced. It was how much value it extracted from what it produced. For too long, many African economies have relied heavily on exporting raw materials, often leaving the more lucrative stages of processing, manufacturing and product development to others.
Debrah called for a decisive shift towards adding value to African resources and developing solutions suited to African realities.
‘Across the continent, we must move beyond exporting raw materials. Our future depends on adding value to what we produce and developing African solutions to African needs’, he said.
He cited Ghana’s 24-Hour Economy initiative as an example of an effort to expand production and create jobs. The broader point was that economic growth must translate into opportunities for young people to apply their knowledge, build businesses and earn sustainable livelihoods.
For the graduates listening in Offa, the message carried a practical lesson: Africa’s development would depend not only on the resources beneath its soil or the crops growing on its farms, but also on its ability to process, transform, innovate and compete.
The continent must increasingly become a producer of finished goods, technologies, services and ideas, rather than remain content with supplying the raw materials from which others create wealth.
Think Africa, act beyond borders
Debrah’s vision for enterprise did not stop at the national frontier. He urged the graduates to resist the temptation to confine their ambitions to their immediate communities or domestic markets.
In an increasingly interconnected world, he argued, young Africans must learn to think continentally and build enterprises capable of crossing borders.
He told them that their market is not confined to Offa, Kwara State or Nigeria, adding: ‘The African Continental Free Trade Area offers a larger African market. Build products that can travel, develop ideas that can scale and form partnerships across the continent’.
It was an invitation to see Africa not as a collection of disconnected national markets but as a vast field of possibilities for trade, innovation and collaboration.
The historical echoes were unmistakable. Ghana’s first President, Dr Kwame Nkrumah, Debrah reminded the audience, understood that his country’s destiny was inseparable from the destiny of the wider African continent. President Mahama’s representative urged the graduates to embrace that same spirit of continental responsibility, translating it into practical action through businesses, partnerships and ideas that could thrive across national boundaries.
He, however, acknowledged that ambition needed financial backing. Ideas might be the starting point of enterprise, but even the most promising ventures require capital to develop, grow and reach their markets.
This brought him to Africa’s financial architecture and President Mahama’s role as the African Union Champion on Financial Institutions. Mahama, Debrah explained, was advancing the case for stronger continental institutions capable of supporting Africa’s development ambitions.
For a graduate in Offa contemplating a business venture, the connection was straightforward.
Ideas need capital. Businesses need affordable financing. Young innovators need patient investment, efficient payment systems and access to markets if their ventures are to move beyond the drawing board.
Without such support, many promising ideas risk remaining just that: promising ideas. With the right financial structures, however, they can become viable enterprises, generate employment and contribute to economic growth.
Debrah’s argument thus brought together the different strands of his address. Universities must nurture ideas; graduates must develop the courage and skills to pursue them; governments must provide an enabling environment; and financial institutions must help turn potential into productive economic activity.
It was a reminder that Africa’s development requires more than inspirational speeches. It demands a coordinated ecosystem in which knowledge, policy, finance and enterprise reinforce one another.
Nigeria and Ghana: Rivalry wrapped in affection
For all its economic and policy prescriptions, the address was not without a lighter, more familiar touch.
Debrah paused to celebrate the enduring relationship between Nigeria and Ghana, two West African neighbours whose ties are woven from history, commerce, culture and family connections.
The relationship, he noted, is visible in the growing number of young Nigerians and Ghanaians studying in each other’s institutions, citizens building businesses across their borders, and artists sharing sounds, ideas and creative influences with audiences far beyond their home countries.
To underline the cultural connection, he spoke warmly of his admiration for Nigerian music stars such as Davido, Asake, Tems, Yemi Alade and Teni, whose creativity and influence have carried Nigerian music to audiences across the globe.
And then, naturally, there was the matter of jollof rice.
No celebration of Nigeria-Ghana relations would be complete without acknowledging the friendly but seemingly endless debate over which country prepares the better version of the popular West African delicacy. The rivalry may generate passionate arguments around dining tables and on social media, but it also reflects a cultural familiarity that makes the two countries natural partners.
Beneath the banter, however, Debrah delivered a more serious message.
He emphasised: ‘Beneath that friendly rivalry lies a deeper truth: our futures are connected’.
Africa, he argued, would advance faster when its countries worked together. Universities must collaborate, businesses must cultivate partnerships across borders, and young people must learn to recognise opportunities beyond their national boundaries.
As Ghana prepared to assume the African Union chairmanship in 2027, he said, President Mahama would continue to make the case for a more integrated, peaceful and economically resilient continent.
The message was especially relevant to the young graduates before him. The future, he suggested, would reward not only those who could compete but also those who understood the value of collaboration. In the emerging African economy, a partner across the border could be just as valuable as a customer at home.
Failure is not the end of the road
If Debrah’s address began with the honour of being first, it ended with a reminder of the uncertainty that accompanies every new beginning.
For the pioneer graduates of the University of Offa, the journey beyond campus would not necessarily be smooth. Some would find employment quickly; others might struggle to secure their first opportunities. Some business ideas would flourish, while others would fail to gain traction. Plans would change, markets would shift, and carefully prepared applications might attract disappointing responses.
Debrah did not pretend otherwise. Instead, he encouraged the graduates to approach setbacks with perspective, learn from their experiences and keep moving forward.
His exact words: ‘As I conclude, let me speak briefly about failure. A business idea may not work. An application may be rejected. A carefully prepared plan may meet a market that has changed. Failure is painful, but it is not final. Learn from it, adjust and begin again. Never allow a temporary setback to define you.’
It was perhaps one of the most important lessons of the day. In a world that celebrates success stories, the willingness to confront failure, learn from it and try again can make the difference between a fleeting ambition and a lasting achievement.
For young people stepping into an unpredictable economy, resilience is not merely a desirable personal quality. It is an essential tool for survival, adaptation and growth.
The same principle applies to African governments, universities and businesses.
Development rarely follows a straight line. Policies may need adjustment, research may produce unexpected results, and enterprises may have to reinvent themselves in response to changing circumstances. Progress depends on the willingness to learn, adapt and persevere.
By the time Debrah concluded, the speech had travelled well beyond the formalities of an award presentation. What began as an occasion to honour a continental leader had become a conversation about the responsibilities of a new generation, the purpose of higher education and the economic future of Africa.
For the University of Offa’s pioneer graduates, the charge was clear: the certificate they had earned was an achievement, but it was not the end of their journey. It was a starting point.
Their task was to turn learning into solutions, ideas into opportunities and ambition into enterprise. For the continent, the challenge was to build the institutions, infrastructure, partnerships and financial systems that would enable them to succeed.
And for Africa’s leaders, the message was equally unmistakable: the continent’s future will depend not simply on what it possesses, but on what it can create from those resources; not merely on the number of graduates its universities produce, but on the problems those graduates can solve; and not on the promises it makes, but on the value it adds to the lives of its people.
At the University of Offa’s maiden convocation, that was the leadership lesson delivered on President Mahama’s behalf: certificates matter, but what graduates do with them matters even more.
