BORROWING FROM THE PAST, BUILDING THE FUTURE: REIMAGINING PAN-AFRICAN LEADERSHIP FOR A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE

HAPPENING :

DATE: 13TH OCTOBER 2026
TIME: 5PM – 7:30PM
VENUE: FredomSquare Makerere University

The 104th commemoration of Mwalimu Julius Kambarage Nyerere provides an important opportunity to reflect on Africa’s leadership journey and to consider the responsibilities of the generations that will shape its future.

The Nyerere–Museveni Generation Dialogue 2026, under the theme “Borrowing from the Past, Building the Future: Reimagining Pan-African Leadership for a Sustainable Future,” seeks to turn this moment of commemoration into an opportunity for meaningful intergenerational engagement.

At its heart is a simple proposition: the future should not be built by abandoning the wisdom of the past, nor by simply reproducing it. It should be built by engaging the past critically, retaining what remains valuable, rethinking what no longer serves contemporary realities, and creating what the future requires.

The Fireside (Ekyooto) Conversation will bring together the experience of established leaders and the energy, ideas and aspirations of a new generation. It will connect history with contemporary realities, dialogue with action, and leadership values with practical possibilities.

Through this platform, the Julius Nyerere Leadership Centre seeks to contribute to a continuing conversation about the kind of leadership Africa needs—leadership grounded in dignity, service, responsibility, solidarity and a commitment to the common good, while remaining responsive to the realities and possibilities of a rapidly changing continent.

The Fireside (Ekyooto) Conversation is therefore conceived not merely as a commemoration of the past, but as an investment in the leaders, ideas, relationships and actions that will shape Africa’s future.