As a result of AFLI’s success with the Tutu Leadership Fellowship , the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has awarded AFLI a grant to design, deliver and oversee the Calestous Juma Science Leadership Fellowship programme in partnership with them and other partners. It begins in 2023 with a cohort of 14 inaugural Fellows from across the continent. Their bios can be viewed at the Gates Foundation site.

The CJ Fellowship honours the late Kenyan Harvard Professor’s legacy. Prof Juma was an internationally recognized authority on the role of science and innovation in economic development. The CJF is a five-year program that has been designed to target excellent Africa-based scientists who are at the tipping points in their careers, with the aim of accelerating their career paths into becoming innovative and transformative scientific leaders. There are various skill sets – beyond being able to do good science - that a scientist requires to become a transformational and innovative leader, including leadership. This can encompass team leadership, multiple stakeholder management, communication and related capabilities.

On the Gates Foundation site, two of the science leaders selected for the CJ Fellowship provide their thoughts on the need for local leadership and locally-led research and development to drive impact in Africa. The article is titled To support innovators in Africa, create an environment where African R&D thrives, and is a question and answer session with award-winning malaria researchers, Abdoulaye Djimdé & Isabella Oyier.

Read it at the Gates Foundation site.

 

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About AFLI

 

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The African Leadership Institute (AFLI) focuses on building the capacity and capability of visionary and strategic leadership across the continent. Developing exceptional leaders representing all spheres of society, the Institute’s flagship programme is the prestigious Archbishop Tutu Leadership Fellowship. Offering a multifaceted learning experience and run in partnership with Oxford University, it is awarded annually to 20-25 carefully chosen candidates, nominated from across Africa. Alumni of the African Leadership Institute form a dynamic network of Fellows passionately committed to the continent’s transformation, bridging the divide between nations and ensuring that Africa is set centre-stage in global affairs.