Despite decades of development initiatives, many African societies continue to face persistent poverty, inequality, youth unemployment, weak governance, and social fragmentation, revealing the limitations of development models centred primarily on economic growth. This paper rethinks human development for human and social flourishing in Africa through a philosophical analysis of Ebenezer Njoh-Mouellè's De la Médiocrité à l’Excellence: Essai sur la Signification Humaine du Développement. Using a qualitative philosophical approach based on conceptual and critical textual analysis, it argues that authentic development is the movement from mediocrity to excellence through the cultivation of human potential. Human development, therefore, extends beyond economic progress to the formation of reflective, creative, ethically responsible, and socially engaged persons. The paper identifies education, particularly higher education, as the primary means of nurturing critical consciousness, innovation, cultural identity, and relevant human capabilities for sustainable development. Although Njoh-Mouellè's philosophy pays limited attention to structural constraints, it offers a compelling humanistic framework for reorienting development around human dignity, freedom, capability development, and social responsibility. The study suggests that addressing Africa's developmental challenges requires prioritizing people-centred development through sustained investment in quality humanistic education, creative capability development, critical thinking, and ethical leadership. It concludes that empowering individuals to realize their potential and contribute to the common good provides a sustainable pathway to human and social flourishing in Africa.