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The CNN International Edition segment that features African Start-ups has interviewed Tutu Fellow Swaady Martin, the founder of Yswara Teas.  Africa is one of the top exporters of tea in the world, but none of the top three tea companies are African.  Yswara was started in 2012 and Martin set about changing perceptions about the quality of African teas, which is better known for its low-quality teas.  Her company currently exports 27 varieties of high-quality premium tea to 16 countries. 

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.

2013 Tutu Fellow Nuradin Osman has been promoted to Vice President and General Manager for Africa at AGCO, the third-largest global manufacturer and distributor of agricultural equipment. His promotion is part of a restructuring at the company to realign its regional structure with its on-the-ground presence in Africa as well as to further expand the company's operations on the continent.

Osman's steady rise in the ranks belies his difficult beginning.  A Somali, Osman's family lost everything twice due to famine and civil war, prompting him to walk across his country and through Ethiopia and Kenya before arriving in Holland in 1992 aged 17. See video below.

A team of the 2016 Fellows has put together a powerful video in which they look at Africa today and where it may be headed. The group comprises Sureka Asbury, Peter Biar Ajak, Raqiya Yusuf Ibrahim, Andre Hilton Ross, Tshepo Ditshengo, Dorothy Ghettuba, Cumeshan Moodliar and Rinos Mautsa.

They argue that Africa's current relative well-being rests on China's growth, but that corruption and weak governmental institutions prevent the continent from reaching its full potential. In their exposition, which pulls no punches, they outline three scenarios.

James Mwangi, the Executive Director of The Dalberg Group, says that small enterprise - if it is given the support it needs - has the power to create growth and prosperity for Africa.  The 2009 Tutu Fellow said that elements like providing early access to small amounts of capital and mentorship could unlock the potential of entrepreneurship. Innovative solutions to problems facing developing countries were likely to emerge with this kind of support.

South Sudan has been troubled by war since it's inception. 2016 Tutu Fellow Peter Biar Ajak has been trying to bring a measure of peace between the sides through a common passion - wrestling. During the recent cease-fire brought about by the stuttering peace process, he was given just days to organise a wrestling tournament.  At the last moment, nervous government officials wanted to cancel it, but wrestlers from both camps wanted to know from the President, "Is he against peace, or is he against wrestling?"

This documentary, by VICE Sports, covers the tournament.

Students who attended the Visiola Foundation's 2016 STEM Summer Camp for teenage girls impressed U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and American ambassadors when they visited Abuja, Nigeria. One of the projects the girls had was to make a robotic forklift (see video below). The Visiola Foundation was founded by 2014 Tutu Fellow Lade Araba.  It educates high-potential girls and young women in the STEM (Science, Tech, Engineering & Math) fields to build a pipeline of leaders and innovators who will help to transform African countries.

2015 Tutu Fellow Uzodinma Iweala's novel Beasts of No Nation has been adapted for the big screen and released internationally by Netflix. The film was first screened at the Venice International Film Festival, where it won the Marcello Mastroianni Award and then subsequently at the Toronto International Film Festival before being picked up by Netflix and released globally. The story is of the life of a child soldier in a war-torn African country recruited into a unit of guerilla fighers and haunted by the death of his father, shot by militants.  Iweala's novel was first published in 2005 and is available on Amazon. The novel received strong reviews from critics.

Craig Wing is a 2015 Tutu Fellow.  Wing is the CEO of Wingnuts Solutions helping businesses create a performance culture to drive bottom line and increase employee retention.

In this video, Craig Wing talks about the quality of the 2015 Class of Tutu Fellows and what he's learned from them.

Frederick Murimi Ngari is a 2015 Tutu Fellow.  Fred is the Corporate Affairs Director & Group Company Secretary for Centum Investment Company, East Africa’s largest quoted Investment Company, currently invested in Financial Services, Energy, Real Estate, FMCG and Agribusiness.

In this video, Ngari suggests the Tutu Fellows network links people across the continent and provides a network for positive change.

Munyaradzi Murape is a 2015 Tutu Fellow.  He is the Deputy CEO and Chief Banking Officer, Southern Heritage Limited.  SHL is a financial services start-up whose objective is to acquire, restructure and manage undervalued small and medium enterprises that focus on the financial service industried.

In this video, Munyaradzi argues that becoming more socially conscious may prompt different leadership decision making for the Tutu Fellows in future.

Theresia Ott is a 2015 Tutu Fellow.  Theresia heads up the world-renowned best practice rehabilitation program at Rio Tinto’s Richards Bay Minerals (RBM).  At RBM, Theresia manages over 3,000 hectares of rehabilitated land in a rural setting, she leads a team of five contractors that employ over 100 employees from local communities to rehabilitate mined land.  She also  advises the company regarding biodiversity concerns, breaking down walls between stakeholders to drive land use planning initiatives to secure sustainable futures for people and the environment.

In this video, Theresia states that accountability of governance is likely to be a key element in the impact that Tutu Fellows will have over the next 20 years.

Uzodinma Chukuka Iweala is a 2015 Tutu Fellow.  He is CEO and Editor-In-Chief of Ventures Africa Magazine; a publication on business and entrepreneurship in Africa.  He is also a co-founder of Txtlite Nigeria Ltd, a company that provides pay-as-you go solar solutions across Nigeria.

In this video, Uzodinma suggests Tutu Fellows are already impacting Africa in a positive way, both this class and previous classes, and will continue to do so despite the steep challenges facing the continent.

Landry Signe is a 2015 Tutu Fellow.  He is the founder and chief executive officer of the Global Network for Africa’s Prosperity and a distinguished fellow at Stanford University’s Center for African Studies.  He is also a special adviser to global leaders on African affairs and development issues.

In this video, Landry Signe argues that Tutu Fellows are already changing Africa and are going to have a major impact on the continent in future.

Founded in 2004 with the support of Oxford University, the African Leadership Institute (AFLI) is the continent’s premier leadership programme. Since the creation of its flagship programme – the Tutu Leadership Fellowship – which welcomes an elite group of leaders from across Africa and includes a strong focus on the values and ethics of leadership, more than 200 Tutu Fellows have been selected to complete the programme. These individuals represent a powerful network of exceptional leaders from a wide range of sectors who work with one another to extend the benefit of their learning and experiences to the broader community.  This video explains how the Institute works and why it is using leadership as a vehicle for change.