By WAZIRI Isa Adam, Abuja
African leaders must abandon the “this is my time, I can do as I wish, wait for your turn” mentality and pursue graduate-level education, psychological training, and citizen-first negotiations to overcome the continent’s leadership burden.
That was the submission of Professor Andrew E. Zamani, Professor of Psychology, Nasarawa State University, Keffi, during the institution’s 58th Inaugural Lecture titled “Africa’s Fractured Psyche and Leadership Burden: Challenges and Prospects” on Wednesday, March 25, 2026.
In Chapter 5, “Solutions to Africa’s Leadership Quagmire,” Prof Zamani said “Leadership pervades every stratum of society. In Africa, it has been largely seen as a position one occupies and not a role one plays.” He noted this affects “sense of responsibility, manner of exercise of power and authority, fidelity to leadership mandate and accountability.”
“Leadership should be seen both as a position and a role,” he stated. “A position in which people play roles that influence positive change and impact society.” He warned: “Leadership positions should not be treated as titles or curriculum vitae items. They should provide opportunities for service or recognition for noble contributions to society.”
Prof Zamani prescribed that “Every leadership role should be guided by a philosophy and set values. This deepens one’s sense of responsibility and consciousness for accountability.” He added: “Every leader should have a sense of history by being mindful of the action s/he takes for the sake of personal satisfaction and posterity.”
On competence, he said “A minimum academic qualification of a graduate degree should be specified for political office holders to enable them understand and contribute meaningfully to complex global trends in governance. Sound academic qualification is necessary appreciate the need for economic diversification.” He noted that “political leaders need grooming in international relations, resource management.”
As a “change agent and a catalyst for development (Zamani, 2015),” he said leaders “are also able to set agenda to influence citizens to define national goals.” “African leaders should have the courage to assert the sovereignty of their countries as well as take every necessary step to defend their territorial integrity,” he declared.
“They should ensure that they attend negotiating tables with priority development needs of their citizens rather than concede strategic national interests for selfish reasons or out of fear,” he said. “To be effective, leaders need to know their environments, in terms of geography, composition, power structures, needs and aspirations.”
To address “Africa’s Fractured Psyche,” Prof Zamani advocated “Leadership capacity building in psychology on subjects such as psychological attributions, reward and punishment, motivation, emotional/social intelligence, social intelligence, decision making, impression management, intergroup relations social attitudes, social influence and personality.”
He said this training “will enhance their transactional skills, perceptiveness and ability to deliver on their mandate with a nurturing mindset and empathy which are safeguards for the fractured psyche.”
“The re-definition of national identities exclusive of of colonial affiliations is needful,” he stated. “Africans must be seen as Africans and not surrogates of some colonial authorities.” He noted that “It is in this light that Ibrahim Traore, the President of Burkina Faso advocates for a Pan- African solidarity that is radical.”
He traced the continental vision to May 25, 1963, when the Organization of African Unity was formed “according to the ideals of Pan-Africanism and pioneer nationalist movements.” It aimed “to unite African countries against colonial domination, promoting solidarity among new independent states, foster cooperation for socio-economic development.”
He said “African leaders in 2023 endorsed the 2063 African Union Development Agenda (AUDA-2063)” committing to “an integrated, prosperous and peaceful Africa, driven by its own citizens and representing a dynamic force in the international arena.”
The seven pillars he listed include: prosperous Africa based on inclusive growth; politically united continent rooted in Pan-Africanism; good governance and rule of law; peaceful and secure Africa; strong cultural identity; people-driven development relying on women and youth; and Africa as a united global partner.
In Chapter 1, Introduction, Prof Zamani explained that “Africa’s Psyche or the African Mind” has been a subject of “heated debate among African scholars” since the 1980s when “the influence of the Euro-American version of psychology began to wane.”
Citing Ebigbo (1989) and Nweze (1984), he said Prince’s “brain fag syndrome” reflected “a lack of understanding of the influence of one’s worldview on the experience and expression of symptoms of illness” and not “psycho-linguistic inability to express psychological distress.”
“The expression of it by Africans is not usually as dramatic as the Caucasian response, because of our peculiar use of ego defense mechanisms,” he said. Somatization, he noted, was recognized by the American Psychiatric Association and WHO in DSM-III-TR (Othomer & Othomer, 1989).
Prof Zamani said his mission was “to make psychological services collaborative, visible and patronizable.” He began teaching in 1990 at the University of Jos as Assistant Lecturer in Psychiatry, rising to Senior Lecturer in 2000.
There he ran “weekly mental health programmes” on electronic media that were “well received and patronized in Jos City,” reorganized the Psychology Unit at Jos University Teaching Hospital, trained resident doctors, and coordinated research that increased staff publications.
He credited mentors including Prof. Hafiz Zaidi, Abdul Haq, John Munene, Khan, Tharakhan, and Dr. Pawel Hab Boski, now Professor Boski, from Poland, for his “flair for scholarship.”