ldquoIn the past, he explains, ldquomany young Africans would expatriate after receiving educations abroad. Now, we are seeing a whole new generation of sophisticated, globally exposed professionals who want to return from their overseas educations and start businesses. The continent is indeed youngmdash50 of the population is below the age of 50mdashand Africa is projected to have the worldrsquos largest workforce by 2040.This new generation, in Odiogorsquos experience, is tech savvy and ambitious. ldquoThey want to be the change and lead the change. The task for the present generation of leaders is to unleash their enthusiasm and capabilities. Odiogorsquos efforts include developing public-private partnerships to address the continentrsquos infrastructure deficits. He also leads a new initiative called the Africa Innovation Fund. The initial aim of the fund is to support the growth of innovative, technology-enabled ventures at their seed and early growth stages. In the long term, the goal is to establish a robust venture capital market. ldquoWe are inspired by the notion that innovation has no state of origin. We know that if we can keep capital flowing to growth-stage enterprises, we can support ventures that have continental relevance and the ability to compete globally.Although the private sector has been the primary driver of growth in countries like Nigeria, Odiogo sees an important evolution taking place in the public sector, too. ldquoIn the past, he says, ldquoIt was unusual for young people to be engaged in politics. Now, young Africans see politics as a means of driving progress. They expect more transparency, and they want their governments to allow entrepreneurship to flourish. And aging political leaders see the writing on the wall. They see that they have little to gain by clinging to power.ldquoMany of the challenges we are tackling today are challenges we may never have to face again, predicts Odiogo. ldquoThe next 50 years will look very different for Africans. Thatrsquos why Irsquom very bullish about the future of the continent.Hal Gregersen, executive director of the MIT Leadership Center and senior lecturer in leadership and innovation, places a great deal of stock in the transformative potential of African inventiveness. ldquoThe specific nature of the challenges vary from country to country, he says, ldquobut everyday life in most regions requires innovative responses to unexpected challenges. You have to be able to think on your feet and develop creative workarounds to get things done.While such conditions may seem disadvantageous to leaders in developed countries, Gregersen believes this challenging environment could prove ideal for producing the next generation of innovators. In Africa, for example, business leaders have few opportunities for complacency. ldquoLeaders hoping to create new markets and develop business opportunities have to be open to surprises, he says. ldquoThey also must be able to take setbacks in stride. In temperament, nearly all successful innovators are very present in the world around them. Operating in a somewhat unstable environment commands your attention and delivers opportunities you might overlook if everything is running smoothly.Thatrsquos not to say that uncertainty and turmoil are desirable conditions for sustainable development. In fact, Gregersen views these as profound constraints on developing a generation of creative entrepreneurs in African countries. ldquoOne of the great tasks of present-day leaders, says Gregersen, ldquois establishing trust-based environments for teaching and learning in communities across the continent. Gregersen cites the transnational art education initiative Room 13 as one example of how this can be accomplished.Created in the mid-1990s at Caol Primary School near Fort William in Scotland, Room 13 is a voluntary, student-run, self-funded enterprise that supports free-form art instruction. Twenty years of organic growth has resulted in a network of nearly 20 studio locations around the world, including Botswana and South Africa. A recent study of the Room 13 phenomenon noted that participants in Soweto achieved significantly improved academic performance after becoming involved in a Room 13 studio.Key to the modelrsquos success, in Gregersenrsquos view, is its non-prescriptive, supportive, and egalitarian framework. ldquoThis is an adaptable environment in which young people can experiment, take risks, learn from their failuresmdashall in the company of an experienced mentor. It not only boosts their confidence and powers of concentration, it provides a springboard to some very successful business ventures.Kofi Annan Foundation Executive Director Alan Doss has devoted much of his career to the African continent promoting peace, sustainable development, and human rights. Before taking the reins of the Geneva-based foundation established by Kofi Annan, SF rsquo72, Doss was the Special Representative of the Secretary-General of the UN in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and head of the peacekeeping mission there. Before the DRC, Doss had similar roles in Liberia.In countries like Liberia, Sierra Leone, and Ivory Coast, Doss sees reason for optimism on the political front. ldquoThese are nations that have only recently emerged from periods of terrible violence and enormous human suffering, he says. ldquoTo create a dynamic of sustainable progress, they need to rebuild sound governance and avoid slipping back into conflict. Doss is encouraged by the fact that in Liberia and Sierra Leone, new leaders have been elected in a transparent manner. ldquoThese officials have come in with the confidence of the people, Doss says. ldquoNow they have to build productive partnershipsmdashlocally and globallymdashto produce the sustainable results their citizens are expecting.For nations with more established democratic practices, such as South Africa and Nigeria, Doss believes a key leadership challenge is building on these foundations to make them more inclusive. ldquoOn the economic side, he says, ldquoNigeria and Angola have struggled to expand and improve their human development indicators.