Nigeria, April 9 -- When we resumed at Harvard Kennedy School last year, Africa became a topic of interest among many fellow students. As discussions unfolded during classes and informal gatherings, it became increasingly clear that there was a disconnect between media portrayals of the continent and the complex realities on the ground. Many of us felt the Western media had not done justice to the true African story, and our non-African classmates expressed a genuine desire to see the continent firsthand.

For those of us in the African Caucus, this presented the perfect opportunity we had been waiting for; to showcase the possibilities, opportunities, and challenges in our home countries beyond the limiting narratives often portrayed in ...