New Generation of African Leaders

FEBRUARY 27, 2012 BY AFRICANYOUTHJOURNALS 1 COMMENT

By Fanele Love; Swaziland The welcome page on Tony Elumelus business and philanthropy website prominently features Mr. Elumelus smiling face, dressed in a sharp suit, accompanied by the words: Nobody is going to develop Africa, except us. The Tony Elumelu Foundation is a model for the innovative solutions to complicated social problems that are increasingly gaining traction across the African continent. These solutions are by Africas young and successful generation of leaders who are using their talent, expertise, experience and networks to contribute to development and progress. Perhaps the most well-known face of this new cadre of leaders is Fred Swaniker, the charismatic and visionary co-founder of the African Leadership Academy (ALA). ALA is an unconventional secondary school nestled in the economic hub of Africa, a strategic and successful academic institution whose guiding mandate is mentoring and developing Africas next generation of leaders. Indeed Swaniker, who is also the co-founder of the African Leadership Network, has chosen, as his challenge, to address the far-reaching leadership problems faced by many African countries. His solution? Skip the politicians and inefficient regimes, and focus on young people with demonstrated leadership potential. These young people, the golden eggs of the continent, are carefully tended to and nurtured in Johannesburg, where leadership, entrepreneurship and values of effective leadership are taught alongside traditional classes such as Biology and Chemistry. Another figure of note, a woman who has amassed incredible admiration among young and old people alike, in Africa and around the world, is the 36-year old Khanyi Dhlomo. Founder of Ndalo Media that publishes Destiny, Destiny Connect, and Destiny Man, Khanyi is using her well-managed personal and professional brand to impart knowledge successful on selfand life- and career-management. Her midas touch was first apparent as a young television reporter for SABC 1, when ratings of the news shot up the roof as South Africa marveled at her natural grace, composure, and an eloquence not immediately associated with black South Africans. An MBA graduate from Harvard, she is positioning Ndalo Media as a producer of quality business and lifestyle content delivered across a number of platforms and industries. Any critic is immediately silenced by the sheer success of this innovative media company, only four years after its conception.

Ndibuisi Ekekwe, Founder, AFRIT

Ndubuisi Ekekwe (pictured above), founder of African Institution of Technology (AFRIT) is also a part of this group of fresh African leaders. The goal of AFRIT is to be an advocate of emerging technologies into developing economies where they can use them to create wealth and prosperity. We are change agents to position Africa to survive the new technology era like nanomics by helping firms innovate, differentiate and compete internationally. We help nurture a new generation of technical leaders from Africa. African Heroes will be focusing on this generation of leaders, our role models and mentors, through interviews and commentaries, closely following and chronicling their collective contribution to development in Africa. We will look beyond their impressive personal and professional achievements, and get to the core of the new ideas and solutions with which they are tackling our lagging and nascent challenges, using the infrastructure only the present afford: technology, communications, networks, improving governance and macroeconomic conditions. The premise behind this approach is getting the human story behind Africas growth, by focusing not on institutions such as the government or the African Development Bank, but on the people whose daily decisions chart progress on the ground.

Indeed the hope is that reading this, African Youth Journals readers will recognize similar characteristics in themselves, and further recognize that it takes no special human species, but simply intellect with intention, will and action, to leave a lasting impact on the Africa and positively touch the lives of its expanding population. Fanele Chester is a Swaziland citizen and a University of Chicago Student. An art lover and and entrepreneur, she has done an amazing job promoting African art and model African leaders with her popular blogs: http://fanelelove.blogspot.com/ and http://interviewafrica.tumblr.com/.