The second workshop of the 2019 Archbishop Tutu Leadership Programme was held partly at Oxford University from 8th-15th September, and in London from the 16th to the 18th, with 22 Fellowship candidates from 11 different African countries - Nigeria, Kenya, Zimbabwe, Sudan, Gabon, Mali, South Africa, the Gambia, Tanzania, Ghana and Madagascar.

It was a memorable time of learning, introspection, forging deep relationships with peers, and lots of laughter!  It was also an opportunity to locate Africa within a broader global context and the Associates heard from some exceptional globally-renowned academics and leaders, including four of AFLI’s Global Advisory Board members – Dr Vivienne Cox, who is also Vice Chair of the Said Business School Oxford;  Prof Ngaire Woods, Dean of the Blavatnik School of Government; Dr Oby Ezekwesili, a Nigerian Presidential candidate and founding Director of Transparency International; and Maureen Erasmus a strategy advisor with global experience.

 This essay by Debisi Araba provides his observations on African leadership. It is one of the many excellent essays submitted by Fellows that form part of the African Leadership Institute’s annual Tutu Fellows Leadership programme.  He begins his essay by declaring that "Leadership is a verb".

He then goes on to explain how it must be exercised to obtain solutions needed by a person or group to address a difficult reality. Making leadership more challenging, the reality may not be well understood or the solution may also not be known.  

The first workshop of the 2019 Archbishop Tutu Leadership Programme was held at the Mont Fleur Conference Centre from the 27th April to the 4th of May, 2019. The 23 Fellowship candidates came from some 250 nominees of outstanding excellence from over 30 African countries, and represented 11 different African countries - Nigeria, Kenya, Zimbabwe, Sudan, Gabon, Mali, South Africa, the Gambia, Tanzania, Ghana and Madagascar.

It was a memorable time of learning, introspection, forging deep relationships with peers and lots of laughter!

The African Leadership Institute report, An Abundance of Young African Leaders but no Seat at the Table, will be launched at Strathmore University, Nairobi on August 28, 2018.  It is the result of funding from the Ford Foundation with AFLI as the grantee and Strathmore University as its partner.

For Africa to realise her full potential, leadership initiatives that focus on the targeted development and the continuous nurturing of young people’s leadership capacities are crucial. Whilst a plethora of leadership development offerings exist on the continent, there has not been, to date, a holistic view of what these initiatives are. This study, therefore, represents an important step towards filling gaps in extant knowledge.

The African Leadership Institute has had Archbishop Tutu as the patron of it's flagship Leadership Programme for years.  During that time, the Archbishop has lent his voice and his support to the work that AFLI has done in turning out servant leaders. Earlier this year, that arrangement was cemented when AFLI and the Archbishop Tutu Leadership Programme were selected as projects that must uphold the legacy of Archbishop Tutu. 

On Africa Day, 2017, an open letter to African Heads of State from Archbishop Tutu Fellows, appealing for the South Sudan Peace Agreement to be rescued.

Following the 10th anniversary celebration, it is encouraging to see how the sense of fellowship amongst the Fellows is developing and growing stronger.  To give you a sense of this, we celebrate the fellowship through the obligatory WhatsApp pics that are always posted whenever two or more Fellows gather and ‘check-in’ with the broader community.  It is only through greater networking and connectedness that we will harness the collective potential of the network. 

Between November 18 and 20, 2016, Tutu Fellows from all ten years in which the Tutu Leadership Programme has been offered descended upon Nirox Foundation Sculpture Park in the Cradle of Humankind, South Africa. They were there to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the programme under the theme, Leadership, Consciousness & Change-Making. The celebration also served as a reunion, bringing together Fellows from across the years and across the continent.  The video shows the dynamic nature of the Fellowship and pays tribute to the founders and the network of people who are changing Africa through their leadership.

The serene grounds of the Nirox Foundation Sculpture Park in the Cradle of Humankind, South Africa, was the setting for the 10th anniversary of the Tutu Programme.  AFLI has a comprehensive news post recapping the event, but this page captures some of the mood of the event and the engagement by the Fellows with each other and the ideas they were discussing. under the theme, Leadership, Consciousness & Change-Making. The celebration also served as a reunion, bringing together Fellows from across the years and across the continent.  This post will try to recapture the magic of that weekend by sharing some of the memorable moments from the event.  We hope you enjoy the gallery of pictures from the event below.

Between November 18 and 20, 2016, about 55 Tutu Fellows descended upon the serene and idyllic Nirox Foundation Sculpture Park in the Cradle of Humankind, South Africa, to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Tutu Programme under the theme, Leadership, Consciousness & Change-Making. The celebration also served as a reunion, bringing together Fellows from across the years and across the continent.  This post will try to recapture the magic of that weekend by sharing some of the memorable moments from the event. 

AFLI’s inaugural leadership workshops were held in 2006. 2016 is, therefore, a significant year for AFLI! I have become the CEO of AFLI at a time when the Institute has commemorated its 10th anniversary and celebrates its 11th class of young African leaders – an opportune time to pause and reflect on what AFLI has achieved but, more importantly, what lies ahead and what AFLI can still achieve. It is also a time to thank our wonderful sponsors for making this happen over these 11 years – notably Investec, GSK, Rio Tinto, Centum, AGCO, and our Chairmen, Sean Lance and Strive Masiyiwa for their individual donations.