In the timeless words of Confucius, “It is better to light a candle than to curse the darkness.” This simple proverb offers a profound challenge to the African continent—one brimming with untapped potential, yet often obscured by layers of complaint, cynicism, and blame. For far too long, the African narrative has been dominated by what is wrong: corrupt leadership, poverty, underdevelopment, insecurity, youth unemployment, brain drain, and fragile infrastructure. But the time has come for a paradigm shift—from lamentation to illumination; from passive discontent to proactive transformation.

Complaining is easy. It requires neither skill nor sacrifice. Yet, it becomes corrosive when it replaces constructive thinking. In many parts of Africa, the elite and everyday citizens have become accustomed to diagnosing problems without offering or acting on solutions. The media, political discourse, and even social gatherings are saturated with an endless loop of what is wrong. While valid frustrations must be acknowledged, a continent cannot be built on complaints. No civilisation ever rose to greatness by merely highlighting its deficiencies.

Worse still, this habitual complaining fosters a culture of victimhood, where citizens expect salvation from external actors, be they governments, NGOs, foreign investors, or aid donors. This dependency mindset stalls initiative, numbs creativity, and disconnects people from their agency.

Lighting a candle symbolises taking initiative, however small. It is choosing to be a problem solver, not just a problem pointer. Across Africa, many have already begun to light such candles:

• In Rwanda, post-genocide reconstruction was led not only by visionary leadership but also by communities deciding to rebuild, reconcile, and reimagine their future.

• In Nigeria, young tech entrepreneurs in Yaba, Lagos—Africa’s “Silicon Lagoon”—have defied odds, creating global start-ups without waiting for perfect infrastructure.

• In Ethiopia and Kenya, ordinary farmers have embraced solar-powered irrigation and mobile-based agritech tools to boost productivity and community resilience.

Each of these efforts represents a lit candle—a commitment to solutions rather than surrender. If replicated at scale, they can illuminate the whole continent.

Lighting a candle is not just physical; it is a mental shift. It involves moving from the question, “Who will fix this?” to “What can I do?” This mindset transformation is the bedrock of personal leadership and national development. Africa must cultivate a generation of thinkers and doers—people who see problems as opportunities, embrace innovation as a way of life, and pursue excellence regardless of external validation.

This shift is already gaining momentum. The rise of social entrepreneurs, community volunteers, and youth-led innovations across the continent reflects a growing hunger for impact. But these sparks must be nurtured and multiplied. Governments, schools, religious institutions, and families must all become platforms that teach literacy, leadership, and responsibility.

At the policy level, leaders must move from politics-as-usual to solution-centred governance. Every policy should ask: Does it light a candle or deepen the darkness? To unlock latent capacities across sectors, leaders must embrace transparency, youth inclusion, digital transformation, and public-private collaboration.

In business, African entrepreneurs must stop copying outdated models and start designing context-relevant, scalable innovations. From fintech to clean energy, education tech to pharmaceutical manufacturing, the opportunities for transformation are endless—if we choose to act.

African faith communities must also light candles of moral clarity, compassion, and national responsibility. The church, the mosque, and traditional institutions should move beyond rituals and rhetoric to become platforms for mentoring, skills training, and peacebuilding. Lighting a candle here means embodying values that bring healing, not division.

The Africa we light together

Africa does not need more lamentations. It needs light-bearers: citizens who are bold enough to plant trees they may never sit under, leaders who see power as service, and innovators who pursue relevance over replication.

Let us teach our children not just the alphabet of complaints but also the language of solutions. Let us write new scripts—not of victimhood, but of victory. And let every African, wherever they are, take responsibility for lighting a candle in a home, a school, a boardroom, a village, or a government office.

Because in the end, it is not the darkness that defines us—it is the light we choose to bring.

Prof. Lere Baale is the CEO of Business School Netherlands Nigeria and a global leadership strategist. He is passionate about leadership development, transformation, and helping individuals and organisations grow to their fullest potential.