The ongoing East African Community survey for the youth conducted by The African Executive reveals a startling observation: young people indicate that whereas regional unity is driven by the economy, only political leadership will determine its success. The revelation by Mo Ibrahim Foundation's annual index on African governance that Africa is too focused on political leadership at the expense of professional leadership appears to agree with the youth's observations. What ought to be done?

According to a recent McKinsey report (Lions on the move: The progress and potential of African economies) released in June 2010, Africa's industrial, consumer, agriculture, resources and infrastructure sectors will generate $2.6 trillion by 2020 up by more than a $1 trillion today. Growth in Africa's economies ought to go hand in hand with improved governance systems.

One would have expected that more focus on political leadership be synonymous to high levels of societal organization and people participation – but alas! That is not the case for Africa. More focus on politics translates to more capture of central government power by a few elites and ethnic communities. That is partly the reason why instead of Africans celebrating the fact that they focus more on individual politicians as a sign of faith in them; they do so purely in competition to get hold of the centre. As was illustrated in Kenya in 2008, this obsession can not only bring business to a standstill when respective African countries hold elections, but can also lead to massaging of facts for political mileage.

African citizens must urgently de-link their fate from individual politicians and invest in creating institutional an infrastructure that will not permit any individual or group to turn them into mere spectators in their own country. This institutional infrastructure must be clearly be enshrined in respective countries' constitutions.