Imagine a child standing beneath her country’s flag on Independence Day. She sings the national anthem with conviction. She has been taught the names of the heroes who struggled for freedom. She knows that the flag belongs to her people and that the future is supposed to belong to her generation.

Then the ceremony ends, and she returns to a classroom without the materials she needs to learn.

What should independence mean to that child?

Surely, it must mean that her circumstances at birth will not determine the limits of her life. It must mean that public institutions will protect her dignity, that education will develop her abilities, and that honest effort will give her a fair opportunity to flourish. The distance between that promise and her daily experience is where Africa’s unfinished independence must be confronted.

Political independence was an extraordinary achievement. Those who challenged colonial rule restored something fundamental: the right of African peoples to govern themselves. We should honour their courage without pretending that the work they began has been completed. A flag can mark the transfer of sovereignty. Only the sustained improvement of people’s lives can demonstrate how well that sovereignty is being used.

Africa’s next chapter must therefore be written through education that develops human capability, leadership that answers for its decisions, and prosperity that expands opportunity across society. These commitments belong together. Education equips people to create value and question power. Accountable institutions protect their rights and reward productive effort. Shared prosperity gives more families the means to educate the next generation.

We must begin with an honest understanding of our condition. Africa is a continent of distinct countries, histories and possibilities. No single explanation captures every national experience. Colonial exploitation, externally imposed disadvantages and unequal bargaining power deserve serious attention. So do the decisions made within our own governments, businesses and communities. Recognising historical injustice should deepen our determination to act; it should never make present-day failure immune from examination.

Responsibility must also follow authority. Citizens have duties, but those who control public resources and exercise state power carry a greater obligation to explain results. A struggling market woman and an official responsible for a national budget cannot be held equally responsible for institutional failure. Fairness requires us to ask who had the power to act, what they did with it, and whose lives were affected.

The most enduring foundation of freedom is an educated mind. A child who learns to read with understanding gains access to ideas beyond the limits of immediate surroundings. A young person who learns to question evidence becomes less vulnerable to manipulation. A skilled adult can solve problems, improve productivity and negotiate a better place in the economy. Education expands both personal agency and national possibility.

Yet, the promise of education cannot be fulfilled by certificates alone. We must care about what learners can understand, make, improve and contribute. A school system should nurture curiosity and sound judgement alongside knowledge. Universities should connect scholarship to the problems around them. Technical and vocational education should command respect because the competence to build, repair, cultivate and maintain is essential to a functioning society.

We should ask practical questions. Can our graduates help an enterprise become more productive? Can they improve a health service, design a useful technology or strengthen public administration? Can they work with people who disagree with them? Can they recognise an ethical failure even when it offers personal advantage? These questions connect learning to the responsibilities of freedom.

Teachers must be supported to do this work well. Access must extend to children in rural communities, girls denied opportunity, learners with disabilities and adults whose schooling was interrupted. The languages children understand should be treated as resources for learning. Digital tools can widen access, but devices cannot substitute for thoughtful teaching, reliable infrastructure and the ability to judge information critically.

Education is also the unfinished responsibility of those already in authority. A leader who stops learning may continue to occupy an office long after losing the capacity to understand its challenges. We need leaders willing to examine assumptions, listen to unwelcome evidence and revise a failing approach. Learning becomes valuable when it changes a decision and improves an outcome.

That brings us to accountability. Leadership is a public trust with consequences for other people’s lives. Its quality should be judged by the reliability of institutions and the opportunities available to citizens. A speech about healthcare is meaningful when a family can access dependable care. A promise about an enterprise has meaning when an entrepreneur can operate under clear rules without having to purchase access or protection.

Accountability must become a routine part of governance. Public priorities should be clear. Budgets and procurement decisions should be open to scrutiny. Independent institutions should be able to investigate wrongdoing, and citizens should be able to question power without intimidation. When programmes fail, leaders should explain the causes, acknowledge their own decisions and show what will change.

The work also requires continuity. A useful public programme should survive a change of administration. Professional competence should matter in appointments. Institutions should preserve knowledge rather than begin again whenever a new officeholder arrives. We cannot build lasting development if each leader treats the state as a personal project whose history starts with their appointment.

The private sector must accept its own responsibilities. Enterprises that demand good governance should practise it in their boardrooms, financial reporting and treatment of employees. Professional bodies should enforce standards even when influential members are involved. Universities should protect academic integrity. Religious and community leaders should be willing to challenge misconduct within their own circles. The credibility of our institutions depends partly on the standards we apply when loyalty makes honesty uncomfortable.

Prof Lere Baale: CEO – Business School Netherlands International – Nigeria