It was a double honour for me to be invited to serve as a Co-Chair of the 2022 Reykjavík Global Forum – Women Leaders and then to receive the Power, Together Award on behalf of the African Leadership Institute and the Archbishop Tutu Leadership Fellowship.
The award recognizes exemplary initiatives and movements where people join forces to create positive impacts and create great change.
On receiving the award, I said that it is both humbling and empowering for us at the African Leadership Institute to know that the work we do is being seen and appreciated. The forum’s theme of Power, Together could not be more apt given AFLI’s mission to curate a values-based network of new African leaders who are transforming the continent together - in line with the vision of the founders, Peter Wilson and Sean Lance.
We now have the immense honour and responsibility of upholding and sustaining the legacy of our founding patron, Archbishop Tutu, through our work and the works and service of our Archbishop Tutu Fellows. This award shines a spotlight on our endeavors and fuels us to do even more.
The organisers of the annual award said that the power to advance society – to change and move things in a positive way – comes from using our power, together. They said this was especially true when change is needed to increase the number and influence of women leaders. “Together women can make the changes necessary and together women can create societies of better diversity; together women can make sure the future holds as many opportunities for girls and women as for boys and men.”
They went on to say: “Since its creation in 2006, The African Leadership Institute has focused on identifying and fostering the next generation of ethical and visionary African leaders. Through the Institute’s flagship programme, the prestigious Archbishop Tutu Leadership Fellowship, young African leaders are equipped with world-class learning, experiences and tools to help them develop their leadership insights and create African-led solutions that catalyse meaningful transformation across the African continent. Working with a select group of partners, leading academic institutions and established international leaders, AFLI provides a premier platform for
comprehensive peer learning and collaboration. The work of the Institute, preparing a new generation of change-makers and inculcating in them a standard of excellence and integrity, improves the quality of leadership which in turn improves the quality of governance and benefits our global society.”
Other recipients of the Power, Together Award included the Council of Women World Leaders, represented by Laura Liswood; Nala Feminist Collective, represented by Aya Chebbi; and the United Nations Foundation, represented by Michelle Milford Morse, Stephanie Oula and Sia Nowrojee. Also acknowledged were the women and girls of Iran, represented by Parinaz Mahdavi.
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