Former president John Agyekum Kufuor has bemoaned poor leadership in Africa, saying that has accounted for the festering corruption on the continent.

Delivering the keynote address at the Delaware State University’s 2015 Commencement, Kufuor said good leadership is vital in building a great society.

He lamented why Africa has abundant natural resources but continues to wallow in poverty.

“Africa does not lack at all in terms of natural resources. And then, of course, we have some very good people, but I find that perhaps the thing that is really in short supply has been good leadership,” Kufuor said.

Kufuor, who served two terms as Ghana’s president starting in 2001, said good leaders breed good governance - and with it the sense of inclusion that motivates people to action.

Kufuor, the first former head of state to visit the school, also spoke to about 100 people at a town hall on DSU’s Dover campus.

Kufuor’s message in each case emphasised the importance of leadership.

“This is what I’m trying to do for the youth. This is the legacy I want to leave to the youth, not only of Ghana, but of Africa.

“Prepare yourself, nurture yourself into leadership so you go out to add value to the quality of life of your people,” the ex-Ghana president noted.

"The world you are about to enter is vastly different than the world your parents entered into when they came into adulthood," Kufuor said. "Mankind has at last come to realise the vision of a global village."

"The responsibility falls on the youth of today to continue the fight, to pick up the mantle of global leadership," he said.