News
The latest news from the African Leadership Institute and its Fellows. AFLI Fellows are leaders and change-makers, so this section has a lot of news. All text in all of the posts is fully searchable.

- Details
- Written by: Norman Smit
- Category: News
- Published:
The conflict in Sudan is escalating and has reached the point where embassies are airlifting their staff out of the capital, Khartoum. Foreign powers are rescuing their nationals using military special forces, airlifts, and convoys driving past fighters from both sides during a short cease-fire. 2015 Sudanese Tutu Fellow Samah Salman has been interviewed by Voice Of America about the conflict.

- Hits: 1691

- Details
- Written by: Judy Malan
- Category: News
- Published:
The African Leadership Institute is pleased to announce the Associates who have been selected for the 2023 Class of the Tutu Fellowship. As has been the case with previous cohorts, the people selected are exceptional emerging African leaders.
AFLI received more than 380 nominations of outstanding quality from across Africa, from which the cohort was selected. They are from Cote d'Ivoire, Ghana, Kenya, Mali, Nigeria, Senegal, South Africa and Uganda and span the worlds of consulting, banking, civil society, renewable energy, public sector, policy and entrepreneurship. It is this rich diversity of nationalities, professions and perspectives that makes the programme experience rich.
The selected candidates demonstrate the incredible wealth and breadth of leadership talent that exists in Africa’s young people, which bodes well for Africa’s future.
- Hits: 6008

- Details
- Written by: Norman Smit
- Category: News
- Published:
2006 Tutu Fellow Janah Ncube was named a 2023 World Fellow at Yale University in March. She is one of only 16 people chosen for this prestigious global leadership development program at Yale, in its 22nd cohort. Janah is Deputy Chief Executive Officer at Crisis Action, a global organization working on the protection of civilians in conflict.
Janah joins a network of over 400 Yale World Fellows representing 96 countries and is the sixth Zimbabwean to be chosen for this program and one of several Tutu Fellows selected for this Fellowship.
- Hits: 888

- Details
- Written by: Norman Smit
- Category: News
- Published:
Two Tutu Fellows have been selected for the 2023 cohort of the 100 Young Global Leaders Forum. They are 2018 Fellow Oluseun Onigbinde and 2022 Fellow Aïssata Lam. Twelve people from Africa were selected.
The Forum Young Global Leaders selects 100 people each year to build a community of outstanding people to address the world's most pressing problems.
- Hits: 842

- Details
- Written by: Norman Smit
- Category: News
- Published:
2019 Tutu Fellow Uzoma Nwagba has been selected into the prestigious Global Eisenhower Fellowship. Uzoma is a lead innovator and Chief Operating Officer of Nigeria’s Government Enterprise and Empowerment Programme (GEEP), managing the world’s largest microcredit scheme.
- Hits: 926

- Details
- Written by: Norman Smit
- Category: News
- Published:
2010 Tutu Fellow Bright Simons has written an article in the Global Policy Journal called What the World Bank Needs More than Cash.
In the piece, he argues that the main bottleneck that the Bank's new President Ajay Banga, must address is the absorption channel for development finance, rather than fundraising. Bright thinks that more fundraising by the World Bank won’t make it any easier for needy countries to actually absorb this funding, unless compliance and capacity issues are also fixed, which constrain current disbursements. The new World Bank president, was the former Chairman of Mastercard.
- Hits: 740

- Details
- Written by: Norman Smit
- Category: News
- Published:
2017 Tutu Fellow Mitoha Ondo’o Ayekaba has been appointed Equitorial Guinea's Minister of Health. He previously had served as the Vice Minister of Health and Social Welfare in Equatorial Guinea, a position to which he was appointed in 2018. The Ministry of Health and Social Welfare (MINSABS) in Equatorial Guinea works to sustain public health and promote healthy living for the Republic's population.
- Hits: 1404

- Details
- Written by: Norman Smit
- Category: News
- Published:
2009 Tutu Fellow Geci Karuri-Sebina PhD has joined the new Board of The Open Institute. She was appointed to the position in February 2023.
The Open Institute is a non-profit organization based in Nairobi, Kenya that collaborates with governments, civil society organisations, citizen groups and private sector companies to find innovative ways to achieve sustainable development. The institute's goal is to support open societies managed by informed fact-driven citizens.
- Hits: 675

- Details
- Written by: Norman Smit
- Category: News
- Published:
2018 Tutu Fellow Serah Makka has been appointed permanent Africa Executive Director for ONE. The appointment took place at the end of February 2023.
ONE is a global movement campaigning to end extreme poverty and preventable disease by 2030, so that everyone, everywhere can lead a life of dignity and opportunity.
- Hits: 732

- Details
- Written by: Norman Smit
- Category: News
- Published:
2011 Tutu Fellow Victor Ochen appeared on Al Jazeera in a panel regarding the annual African Union Summit in Ethiopia in February 2023 in an extensive and wide-ranging interview. Victor responded to questions about the state of the African Union, conflict, famine, and international influence. Victor is a previous Nobel Peace Prize nominee and the founder of AYINET, a non-profit that works with victims of conflict and war and promotes youth leadership and gender inclusion.
When asked about the interest in Africa from outside political influences such as the US, China, and Russia, Victor spoke about the strategic significance of Africa.
- Hits: 734

- Details
- Written by: Norman Smit
- Category: News
- Published:
2018 Tutu Fellow Edzai Zvobwo has been interviewed by the SABC about ChatGPT and education. GPT, which stands for Chat Generative Pre-Trained Transformer, is an Artificial Intelligence (AI) chat program created by an AI research company Open AI. This AI is based on software technology called Natural Language Processing. The interview took place in January 2023.
Edzai mentions that the new version is impressive because it sounds like a human being.
- Hits: 695

- Details
- Written by: Norman Smit
- Category: News
- Published:
With the lifting of COVID travel restrictions, the Fellows have been busy at various high-level convenings including the Commonwealth Heads of Government forum (CHOGM) in Kigali, Africa Climate Week in Gabon, the African Green Revolution Forum (AGRF) Summit in Kigali, and the United National General Assembly (UNGA) and its various side events at General Assembly.
At such carefully-curated events of high-level policy influencers, the Tutu Fellows network is always disproportionately represented.
- Hits: 906

- Details
- Written by: Norman Smit
- Category: News
- Published:
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.
- Hits: 1545

- Details
- Written by: Jackie Chimhanzi PhD
- Category: News
- Published:
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.
- Hits: 1154

- Details
- Written by: Norman Smit
- Category: News
- Published:
2008 Tutu Fellow Hopewell Chin'ono was honoured as a winner of the International Anti-Corruption Excellence Award in Doha, Qatar. The Zimbabwean journalist and muckraker received the award from the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani in the presence of the UN Special Advocate for the Prevention of Corruption.
Also present at the ceremony was the President of Rwanda, Paul Kagame, and Under Secretary General, Ghada Waly.
- Hits: 1546
- AFLI Founders honoured by the University of the Western Cape
- Bilha Ndirangu interviewed by Lanre Akinola on COP27
- Fellow's book on systems of social change wins award
- Peter Biar Ajak begins Post-Doctoral Fellowship at Harvard
- Ahmed Zahran chosen for Fortune's Change the World List 2022
- Robtel Neajai Pailey PhD wins APCG book award
- Samson Itodo prepares for Nigeria's high-stakes 2023 elections
- Fellow guides Gabon into carbon credit market
- Aminu Umar-Sadiq to head Nigeria's Sovereign Investment Authority
- James Mwangi a recipient of 2022 Climate Breakthrough Award