For millions in Zimbabwe born since liberation, the ZANU-PF government led by 93-year-old Robert Mugabe is the only government they have known. So the removal of President Mugabe from power by the military this month has been a watershed moment. With long-time government insider Emmerson Mnangagwa now the new President, Zimbabwe is wondering if the country will continue the trajectory it has held under ZANU-PF, or if the country will chart a new positive course.
The Tutu Fellowship Programme requires each participant to write an essay on leadership in Africa. Each year, some of the best are selected for publishing by the African Leadership Institute. This is the third of the essays to be published from the 2016 Fellows. It is by Andre Ross and it is a deeply personal account of his views on leadership. It presents ideas on what Africa has to offer the world, along with some thoughts on what it could do to sow the seeds of improvement.
When the 2016 Tutu Fellows convened for their first workshop at Mont Fleur in April, they were asked, for their Group project, to develop scenarios of the future of Africa, but were given 3 different global scenario frameworks within which Africa’s future should be considered. Their preferred scenario - both globally and in Africa - was one based on “Sustainable Transitions” – a world where global action is agreed and transnational issues implemented to secure global sustainability.
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.
With a woman’s ambition to lead comes the risk of being undermined, maligned, side-lined or even physically attacked, simply because women are still viewed as the weaker sex. This year, I was elected as the first female President of the Law Association of Zambia in the 53-year history of the organisation and its predecessor the Law Society of Zambia. Having been in office since May this year, I now concur with the late, great “philosopher” David Bowie who jokingly said, “Don’t be the first, be the second”. On a serious note, being a relatively young female leader in a patriarchal society is fraught with challenges; the first of which is actually getting into office.
The World Economic Forum has announced the 2016 Young Global Leaders. Of the 11 selected by the WEF, five are Tutu Fellows and Associates, a powerful affirmation of the impact of the African Leadership Institute's programs.
WEF describes their list of Young Global Leaders as 'Brilliant scientists. Emerging entrepreneurs. Tech investors. Activist MPs' that represent the most innovative, enterprising and socially minded men and women under the age of 40 who are pushing boundaries and rethinking the world around them. WEF says that this year’s class of Leaders gives hope to tackle the world’s most complex and pressing challenges. In addition to being honored by their selection, they will also be offered a five-year leadership journey to break down silos, bridge cultures and use their collective skills to get things done for positive impact across private, public and civil society organizations.
The five Tutu Fellows named among this year's Young Global Leaders:
Ada Osakwe
Victor Ochen
James Mworia
Zuki Siyotula
Juliana Rotich
We are often asked what impact the African Leadership Institute and the Tutu Fellowship Programme are having on the development of Africa. Measurement of the success of leadership programmes is extremely difficult.
In less than a fortnight, South African President Jacob Zuma has fired two finance ministers from his cabinet. The first was Nhlanhla Nene, who resisted Zuma's excesses and was replaced with little-known David van Rooyen who was expected to rubber stamp Zuma's wishes. World markets reacted immediately, causing the Rand to fall precipitously and the stock market to tumble.
Tutu Fellow Landry Signe has been recognized as one of the Junior Chamber International's 2015 Ten Outstanding Young Persons of the World. The recognition is for his 'innovative actions, extraordinary achievement, and dedication to serving others', and to 'creating sustainable impact in his community, in Africa and across the globe'. The award was bestowed on him during JCI's International World Congress on 7 November 2015 in Kanazawa, Japan. JCI members and active citizens from around the world voted online to participate in selecting the 2015 honorees and more than 26,000 votes were cast.
This essay by Samah Salman uses U.S. President Barack Obama's 2015 visit to East Africa as a vehicle to uncover some of his observations on African leadership. It is one of the many excellent essays submitted by Fellows this year. The essays form part of the African Leadership Institute’s annual Tutu Fellows Leadership programme.
Salman looks at Obama’s admiration for and critique of African traditions through the lens of leadership. Using his visit as a point of departure, Salman argues that bad leadership in Africa is no longer political, but cultural. Conversely, good leadership can be fostered as a cultural opportunity. She makes the case that in order for Africa’s demographic dividend to materialize, the path to consistent, good leadership will require education to be a transformational element for this kind of socio-cultural shift.
The following essay, titled "Just another African country: the challenge of leadership in Zambia and the poverty of ambition", was written by Tutu Fellow Linda Kasonde. It examines African leadership and more specifically, leadership in Zambia, as the country recently celebrated its 50th independence anniversary.
The African Leadership Institute (AFLI) is unique among leadership initiatives in that it 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.