Ahmed Salim (left) from Tanzania and Abdullahi Boru from Kenya are studying international affairs at Columbia University. They say Obama is not doing enough to address challenges in Africa.

When Obama called on Africans to take charge of their future, the message didn't sit well with some younger Africans.

Abdullahi Boru, a Columbia University student from Kenya, said he doubted a parallel could be drawn between the civil rights struggles of African-Americans and the challenges facing Africa. He called Obama's comparison "extremely careless."

“Fighting for rights in Africa is not like fighting for rights in America,” Boru said in an interview. "I have to think twice before I challenge the leadership in Africa. Who will support my family if my government kills me?”

Ahmed Salim, a Columbia University student from Tanzania, said Obama's speech was "easier said than done." In a telephone interview, he said that Africans have long demonstrated their will to stamp out tyranny but government repression has left them discouraged and afraid.

Boru and Salim said they remain pessimistic about America's leadership in Africa, adding that Obama’s speech, while good on rhetoric, fell short on action and promise.

“Obama isn't bringing anything new to the table," Salim said.

Ugandan journalist Andrew Mwenda echoed that sentiment. The managing editor of The Independent in Kampala accused Obama of repackaging old ideas.

"Obama needs to listen to Africans much more and not lecture them," he wrote in Foreign Policy.

The timing of the speech illustrated the challenges ahead for Africa. The region's leaders cheered Obama as he called on strong institutions, not "strongmen," to lead the continent. Yet 10 days earlier, African Union leaders declared their support for Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir. He faces indictment by the International Criminal Court for his role in the Darfur conflict.

Thirty AU states are signatories to the ICC, a recognized legal institution but "power wielders" such as Bashir still manage to avoid criticism from their African peers, said Alex Meiner, senior director of policy and government relations for the Save Darfur Coalition. He called support for Bashir by African leaders “a disappointment."

Nevertheless, Meiner said he is still optimistic. In a telephone interview, he said Obama is launching a more coordinated and cohesive Africa policy than previous U.S. administrations. Ultimately, however, he conceded that the United States couldn't take a lead role but could facilitate changes within a multilateral framework.

Possible foundations of such a framework emerged from a recent Group of Eight meeting. With their first joint G8-Africa statement, the world's leading industrial democracies pledged to support the region's development, peace and security.

Boru, for one, didn't sound impressed.

“Nothing will change,” he said.

And if Obama wants to make aid conditional on Africans first taking matters into their own hands, Salim said that's an unrealistic premise.

"It is simply too dangerous to combat corruption, implement democracy and win rights on our own," Salim said. "The costs are too high."

Meiner, however, urged young Africans to not lose hope.

"Change is coming from within," he said. "It just takes time."