by President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf at the 6th Nelson Mandela Annual Lecture, The Nelson Mandela Foundation, Johannesburg, South Africa - The African Renaissance is now at hand. It is within reach. It is embedded within the honest and seeking minds of the young, the professionals, the activists, the believers in our continent. Difficulties remain, no doubt, trouble spots abound for sure, and many seek to discredit this process, but we have reached the threshold and there is no turning back from the irreversible transformation.