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.
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10 September this year marked the graduation of the Tutu Class of 2023 – the first cohort to have experienced the shortened, refreshed version of the Oxford-London workshop.
Three overarching themes were at the heart of the programme: Deepening our Roots to build the capacity for self-leadership, connecting to and learning from the Tribes we belong to (especially this one!) so we can grow in how we lead others, and exploring what it means to be a Good Ancestor when it comes to nudging positive and enduring systemic change.
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2009 Tutu Fellow James Mwangi - a featured speaker at the 2023 Africa Climate Summit - is changing the narrative on projects in Africa that can reduce the impact of global warming and climate change. Aside from the merit in these projects, which James addresses, narrative change is an imperative to closing the gap between perceived and actual risks for projects on the African continent.
The high-profile summit in early September 2023 to kick-start the transition to clean energy was attended by leaders from Kenya, Ghana, Tanzania, Rwanda, the U.S. and the European Union. James was instrumental in helping to organize the event.
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2017 Tutu Fellow Bosun Tijani PhD has been named as Nigeria's Minister of Communications, Innovation, and Digital Economy. Bosun is a tech entrepreneur who started CcHub, a lab for technologists, software developers, entrepreneurs, tech companies, investors, and other stakeholders in Lagos, and then replicated that success in Rwanda.
His appointment to the post represents a break from the norm of civil servants and career politicians being responsible for Nigeria’s fast-growing digital economy. He takes over from Isa Pantanmi, who formerly served as the director-general of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA).
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2013 Tutu Fellow Ally Angula is running as an independent candidate in the Namibian presidential elections, which take place in November 2024.
Ally is a qualified chartered accountant and co-founder of Leap Holdings, a group of companies involved in the growing of fresh produce, garment manufacturing, and retail in Namibia. She is also the founder of My Republik Brand, Namibia’s first locally designed, manufactured, and retailed clothing brand. Aside from her work in the private sector, Ally has also served as the Accountant General of the Republic of Namibia and Head of State Accounts.
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This post is by 2014 Tutu Fellow, Linda Kasonde :
My book, Women, Resilience, and the Will to Lead, tells the story of my journey into leadership, from my upbringing as a child, to a chance encounter with a classmate who made me realise that just putting oneself forward is half the battle in becoming a leader. My story is intertwined with political events in Zambia from 2011 to 2021, which saw my country on the path to democratic decline, and the role I played to try and restore Zambia’s democracy. It touches on difficult topics such as losing a child, mental health, and the sexism faced by women in leadership. It ends with a list of lessons that I have learnt over the years and a call to arms for more women to embrace taking up leadership positions.
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2019 Tutu Fellow Samson Itodo says that the Not Too Young to Run movement he played a key role in convening has seen historic wins in Nigeria’s 2023 Elections. He says that dissatisfication with democracy is partly because of the dominance of gerontocrats in politics and their disconnect from the experiences of most citizens. The Not Too Young to Run movement has been working at mobilizing young people to get into politics to change this.
Nigeria’s 2023 general election is the second general election since the passage of the Not Too Young to Run Act in 2018. Samson says that while an analysis of the list of candidates for the 2023 election shows a small decline in youth candidacy from the 2019 general election, this election produced historic wins none the less.
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2014 Tutu Fellow Isaac Fokuo has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between his company, Botho Emerging Markets Group, and the African Union. Isaac is the Founder and CEO of Botho, which works in emerging markets and specializes in investments in these markets. The MoU spurs research and knowledge production and seeks to connect and strengthens private sector ties between Africa and the Middle East.
The signing happened in Nairobi in early July, with Ambassador Albert Muchanga, the Commissioner of the African Union ETTIM Division, and Botho Group Director Aparupa Chakravarti.
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The President of Sierra Leone, Dr Julius Maada Bio, has reappointed 2022 Tutu Fellow Francis Ben Kaifala to serve another five years as Commissioner of the Anti-Corruption Commission Sierra Leone. The reappointment was made on 29 June 2023. Within his first five years, Francis saw remarkable gains in the fight against corruption.
The Anti-Corruption Commission of Sierra Leone is an independent institution that was established to prevent, investigate, prosecute, and punish those who are involved in corruption. Established in 2000, they also lead the fight against corruption through public education.
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2015 Tutu Fellow Landry Signé has authored another book, this one titled Africa's Fourth Industrial Revolution. The fourth industrial revolution - or 4IR - is characterized by an incorporatation of technologies like artificial intelligence, gene editing, advanced robotics, 3D printing and others that blur the lines between the physical, digital, and biological worlds.
It's a field in which he is well-versed. In 2015, Landry was appointed to head Arizona State University's Thunderbird School of Global Management and an initiative at the university called the 4IR and Globalization 4.0 Initiative. He is the Professor and Founding Co-Director of the inititiative.
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The Board of Directors of the Liberian Bank for Development and Investment (LBDI) has appointed 2008 Tutu Fellow Christian Allison as the bank's new President and CEO. The appointment was effective as of July 1, 2023.
Christian has worked as a financial services regulator and risk management professional at the Central Bank of Liberia (CBL) for more than 21 years, before being selected for the CEO position at LBDI.
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2013 Tutu Fellow Jumoke Oduwole JD was appointed as a Senior Fellow at Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government in the United States on 1 July 2023.
A special advisor to former Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari, Jumoke will be working with the Mossavar-Rahmani Center for Business and Government through June 2024. In the announcement of her appointment, it said she was appointed after undergoing a rigorous screening process from a large and strong pool of globally-acclaimed high achievers, and that only a few individuals are invited to be senior fellows each year.
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2019 Tutu Fellow Marcia Ashong has been appointed to the 2X Global Forum - along 16 other leaders from around the world - to drive a gender-equal world. She will be sharing her perspectives on gender-equal leadership, along with her deep commitment to supporting the goal of unlocking gender-smart capital globally. Marcia is Founder and CEO of TheBoardroom Africa, which has been described as Africa's leading network of women executives. Her company is a resource of female talent for boards across the globe. 2X Global is a global membership and field-building organization for investors, capital providers, and intermediaries working in public and private markets, across both developed and emerging economies.
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2014 Tutu Fellow Mokena Makeka was interviewed on CNN's Inside Africa series in February 2023. In a piece titled Designing the Future: Architects of South Africa, the series looks at how architects are shaping the skylines of Zimbabwe and South Africa and includes buildings as diverse as a sustainable community center to a building inspired by termites.
Recently appointed the President of the South African Institute of Architects, he says that while most lay people know that architects design single, individual buildings, the more important role architects fill is urban design - how spaces are designed for people, and how city design impacts inequality.
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Investec Bank has appointed 2016 Tutu Fellow Cumesh Moodliar as its CEO, succeeding Richard Wainwright, who is set to retire in 2025. Investec is a specialized lending powerhouse listed on both the JSE and London stock exchanges.
Investec Group's CEO, Fani Titi, said he had confidence in Cumesh's abilities. He said Cumesh had been successful in steering Investec's Private Banking unit and recognized his track record of strong leadership.
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2015 Tutu Fellow Uzodinma Iweala was interviewed on CNN's Marketplace Africa on how his nonprofit - the Africa Center - hoped to shape the future of Africa from abroad. In the interview he explained how the organisation he leads can help Africa be better understood through three lenses, that of business, policy and culture. He provided examples, such as the cobalt mined in Africa, which underpins battery technology.
The Center was providing insights into the business of mining and trade, policies encountered on the continent, and other information that affected the narratives being told about Africa and which gained better insight into the continent.
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- Chude Jideonwo announces another season of his show
- James Mwangi a featured speaker at the Climeworks Direct Air Carbon Capture Summit
- 'Bosun Tijani moderates the Gates panel - Unleashing Africa's Innovative Future
- Imperial College London features Prof Julie Makani on sickle-cell disease
- The 2023 Mont Fleur Tutu Fellowship Workshop
- Wanjiru Kamau-Rutenberg appointed to the board of Autodesk Foundation
- Peter Biar Ajak interviewed about the war in Sudan
- Tutu Fellows form Africa Climate Ambassadors Programme
- 13 Tutu Fellows at the 2023 Skoll World Forum
- Samah Salman interviewed on Sudan conflict