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Tutu Fellows Lynette Ntuli, Natalie Jabangwe, and Bright Simons have been selected for the Choiseul Africa 100 list of laureates for 2018.

Through an annual study that was independently carried out over several months by the Institut Choiseul, Choiseul 100 Africa – the Economic Leaders for Tomorrow, honors those exceptional entrepreneurs who contribute to the renewing of the African economic governance. It identifies and ranks young African leaders of 40 years old and below. 

The identification and ranking process took weighted criteria into account that included reputation, background and skills, influence networks, potential, and leadership.

A mutiny is occurring in the notorious prison in South Sudan called Blue House, where people are being detained without trial.  The prison is also where 2016 Tutu Fellow and peace activist, Peter Biar Ajak, has been held since the end of July 2018.  He has yet to be charged.  News sources say about 200 detainees broke into a weapons store in the prison and are holding two guards.  They are demanding the government provide prisoners with due process. 

The detention centre called Blue House is at the headquarters of the National Security Service in South Sudan's capital, Juba.  A national security service statement released to the media says the standoff began when a prisoner, Keribino Wol, overpowered a guard and seized his weapon. 

2017 Tutu Fellow John-Allen Namu has released a documentary exposing the complicity of individuals in the Kenyan and Ugandan elite in illicit financial flows in support of South Sudan's warlords. John-Allen is an award-winning investigative journalist and the co-founder of Africa Uncensored.

The powerful three-part documentary titled, The Profiteers, is an expose of how South Sudan warlords plunder public resources to live in opulence in Nairobi while ordinary South Sudanese live in abject poverty. The money looted from Sudan's public coffers is then siphoned off to Kenya and Uganda through banking institutions where the cartels are laundering it by investing in other businesses. 

The 2014 Tutu Fellow and chief architect at Makeka Design Lab, Mokena Makeka, has led a design vision and consortium to win a bid to design a new precinct for Nelson Mandela Bay.  Nelson Mandela Bay is an area in the coastal city of Port Elizabeth in South Africa's Eastern Cape.  The project is to redevelop the area and simultaneously honour Madiba’s contribution to South Africa, as well as elevate the city’s status as a hub for socio-economic transformation, tourism and employment opportunities.

The city hosted a competition open to all South Africans to submit their ideas, but it was Mokena's Nelson Mandela Bay Tower of Light concept that ultimately won.

2014 Tutu Fellow Linda Kasonde reflects on her own experiences shattering the glass ceiling in the legal profession in this TEDx talk in Lusaka.  In it, she asks "where are the women?"  Linda shares her journey to leadership, while challenging other women to fulfil their leadership potential.  Linda Kasonde was the first female President of the Law Association of Zambia and is now a partner in a leading Zambian law firm. Leadership in itself is difficult; but when power structures - like the glass ceiling women face - place obstacles in your path, it is that much more difficult.

2014 Tutu Fellow, lawyer, and activist, Linda Kasonde, is spearheading a social media campaign against sexual bullying, particularly against women in politics. The campaign hashtag is #StandUpToBullying.

The cyber bullying campaign initially arose from an incident where the Zambian Minister of Information was attacked online by political party cadres within her party, because of a public pronouncement that she had made. Civil society quickly issued a statement condemning the remarks and started a social media campaign under the hashtag #IStandWithHer, condemning the harassment, particularly the sexual harassment of women politicians.

2017 Tutu Fellow Dr. William Mwiti has been appointed to the Executive Leadership Committee of the Medical Affairs Professional Society (MAPS) for the EMEA Region. MAPS is the premiere non-profit global society of Medical Affairs professionals across a spectrum of fields, experience, and locales.

The Executive Leadership Committee is responsible for ensuring the Vision and Mission of MAPS is achieved in all the society’s initiatives in the geographical region comprised of Europe, including the United Kingdom, Middle East and Africa. In his role, William will be directly involved in setting up an Africa Chapter.

2012 Tutu Fellow, and representative of the All Progressive Congress(APC) in Nigeria, Elijah Onyeagba, has secured his party’s ticket to contest in the general elections as Member of Parliament representing Anaocha/Njikoka/Dunukofia Federal Constituency.

Elijah is an Economist by training and has an MBA in Finance with over seventeen years’ experience in commercial, corporate, retail, mortgage banking, real estate, research, marketing and leadership. He is an expert in the structuring and advisory on construction finance deals with specialty in residential/affordable housing projects. He is currently the CEO of Countrywide Housing Company (CHC).

2015 Tutu Fellow and novelist, Dr Kopano Matlwa Mabaso, is spearheading a campaign which aims to bring South Africa closer to achieving zero stunting in children by 2030.

The Grow Great campaign involves young people taking “action” through social media - highlighting important issues and applying pressure on their governments to take action. The campaign also keeps tabs on countries’ funding commitments and encourages citizens to undertake volunteer work to earn rewards such as festival tickets. The campaign was invited to be part of the Global Poverty Project, which, through its Global Citizen movement, engages with pop stars and other influencers to create impactful music festivals and campaigns that aim to convince global leaders to change policies and pledge funding.

2011 Tutu Fellow, Muhammad Sani Dattijo, has been appointed by The World Bank as a member of its Expert Advisory Council on Citizen Engagement.

Dattijo, who has over a decade of experience in development policy formulation, public finance and project implementation, is currently the Commissioner for Budget and Planning in Kaduna State, Nigeria. He is responsible for designing the fiscal strategy and coordinating the implementation and monitoring of the Kaduna State budget. Prior to his appointment as a Commissioner, he was a Policy Adviser in the Executive Office of United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon in New York and a member of the Secretary General’s core team working on Sustainable Development Goals.

2013 Tutu Fellow Nkuli Bogopa has been appointed the Executive Director in the Office of CEO at Broll Property Group (Pty) Ltd. Nkuli was also recently appointed the Vice-President of the Black Business Council in South Africa.

Broll Property Group is one of Africa’s leading commercial property services companies, with offices in major cities and towns in South Africa as well as operations in Cameroon, Ghana, Indian Ocean Islands, Ivory coast, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, Swaziland, Uganda and Zambia and provides real estate services in other African counties.

2009 Tutu Fellow, Abimbola Pariola, has been appointed the Global Property Managing Director at Nova Pioneer. Nova Pioneer Education Group is a Pan-African independent school network offering preschool through secondary education for students from ages 3 through 19. It aims to prepare the next generation of leaders and innovators through world-class teaching methods with an emphasis on 21st century skills.

Prior to this, Abimbola was Non Executive Director at LYT architecture where she was responsible for Operations West Africa as well as business development for the overall company.

2017 Archbishop Tutu Fellow and Nigerian hip hop artist and CEO of the record label, Chocolate City, Jude Abaga - also known as “M.I” - has just released a new album, which is a follow-up to his 2014 studio album, The Chairman.

His new album is titled, A Study on Self Worth: Yxng Dxnzl. The new album highlights important themes of introspection and self-worth and borrows heavily from his journey on the Archbishop Tutu Programme. The album reflects M.I.’s growth as a leader and as an artist.

This essay was submitted by Chude Jideonwo as part of the required work associates must complete during the Tutu Leadership Programme.  AFLI typically posts a selection of the top essays in each year, and this is one of them.

Defining success in leadership within the African continent – or even outside of the continent – is no easy task, considering what it may entail to approach consensus. It would be different – and easier – if we tried defining effective leadership.

For instance, the question: who is the poster figure for successful leadership? And by what measures are these successes defined? Economic growth; increase in purchasing power; obeisance to the rule of law;  freedom – in all its true expression; improved human security; happiness and improvement in the quality of life of the average citizen?

With the 2018 Tutu Fellowship programme having come to a close, the small group of 26 young leaders who made this year's journey of discovery, self-reflection, and growth are sharing the impact it has had on their lives.  The Tutu Leadership Programme seeks to provide the candidates selected for the programme with tools for life-long reflection and decision making as servant-leaders in their various walks of life across the continent. 

The words of some of the members of the Class of 2018 illustrates how they experienced the Tutu Leadership Programme.