Message from Tony Blair:I believe that Africa can become in this century an engine of prosperity as powerful as Asia became in the last.

“The evidence is clear: Africa needs better governance. None of the other issues it faces will be overcome without it. As Prime Minister, I learned that the gap between setting out a vision and seeing real change is hard to cross. But for African leaders, that gap can feel like a chasm. In the daily mechanisms of government, there is simply not the capability to make things happen. And when government doesn’t work, it’s the poor who suffer most.

I believe that Africa can become in this century an engine of prosperity as powerful as Asia became in the last. That’s the goal, but it will only become a reality if Africa’s leaders are able to drive the reforms their countries need, and their governments have the capacity to deliver them.

For a new generation of African leaders, this means that having a clear vision for their country is not enough. They also need to transform the capacity of their government to deliver it. I set up AGI to help them do that.”