Ujiri believes that Africa has all it takes to become great

Masai Ujiri, co-founder of Giants of Africa, has urged Africa’s youth to take the initiative and believe in their own abilities in order to create a more powerful and cohesive continent.

On Saturday, July 26, Ujiri was speaking at the Umuganda community service in Kigali, where over 400 campers, coaches, dignitaries, and visitors from outside convened on the first day of the 2025 Giants of Africa Festival.

“We’re talented. The folks are here. “Yes, we have everything we need to succeed on this continent,” Ujiri remarked.

The event, which was organized in collaboration with Rwanda’s Ministry of Youth and Arts and the Imbuto Foundation, emphasized the value of unity, service, and a common goal.

Real development, Ujiri stressed, comes not from waiting for change but from bringing it about together, across borders, and telling today’s young that while hardship is inevitable, it can be overcome with fortitude and solidarity.

The former Toronto Raptors president told the young people that their towns and stories are equally as important as anyone else’s, drawing on his own early years spent in Northern Nigeria.

“Yes, we will encounter difficulties. Yes, there will be difficult moments, but we will overcome them. Great things can be accomplished without having a lot of money; no matter where you come from, you can always get better and become greater. He said, “You can become anything you want.”

He continued by urging young people to walk with confidence and purpose in addition to having great dreams, emphasizing that the Giants of Africa platform is just the start and that real leadership is going above and beyond.

Nelly Mukazayire, Rwanda’s Minister of Sports, reiterated Ujiri’s remarks by calling for youth to actively participate in the development of their nation, stressing that institutions and the government alone cannot drive national success.

With the words, “Building our country is not just the job of leaders; it starts with all of us, it is our responsibility,” Mukazayire praised Giants of Africa for supporting Rwanda during Umuganda.

Additionally, I want to value the sense of community. Thank you for joining us, Giants of Africa and their team. It demonstrates a common dedication to reconstruction and rehabilitation, not only in Rwanda but also throughout Africa,” she remarked.

The Minister urged the youth to embrace sport in all its forms, not just as a game but also as a means of education, self-improvement, and life-changing.

“Sport is a teacher; it imparts skills, self-control, fortitude, and all the other things we need in life.” Make the most of it, then.

The festival’s theme this year is “A Borderless Africa,” and it runs through August 2. It celebrates culture, sport, and leadership by bringing together young people and mentors from all over the continent and beyond.