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| | | Title | BUILDING EFFECTIVE LEADERSHIP SKILLS for Africa’s Transformation through its Universities | | Author | ACBF | | Subject | Leadership in Higher Education | | Date of Publication | 2017083 | | Publisher | African Community of Practice on Management for Development result at the African Capacity Building Foundation (ACBF) | | Number of Pages | 9 pages | | Language | English | | Geographical Coverage | Africa | | Keywords | African universities, African universities and leadership development | | Abstract | African universities are a major avenue for developing effective leaders across the continent. But the universities will need to design and roll out innovative programs to enhance Africa’s leadership capabilities. Effective leadership development depends on the next generation’s exposure to meaningful experiences; access to mentoring and training programs; modalities for local participation; and identify and groom possible future leaders at an early stage. It is critical for African universities to nurture highly skilled and well-informed, accountable, and courageous leaders to spearhead efforts to promote good governance and stimulate economic transformation in their countries. It also suggests a framework that can be adopted by African universities. The paper is based on a desk review and on a critical study and analysis of the published literature. Among the key findings: A clearly defined training model and delivery mechanism responding to African leaders’ capacity needs, holistically, is critical. It proposes a framework that can be adopted by African universities, highlighting the Public Sector Management Training Programme (PSMTP) implemented by the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA) with funding from the African Capacity Building Foundation (ACBF) and others. The key lessons: Given the global challenges and opportunities confronting Africa and the needs and demands for effective leadership, it is imperative that there is an institutionalized system to train effective leaders. PSMTP/GIMPA has demonstrated how a university can develop leaders. Other universities should follow that success and African institutions and development partners should support those initiatives. The main recommendations: Universities should promote an understanding of economic, political, and social issues to enable future leaders to make informed decisions or evaluate their performances objectively. Among other steps, African universities need an institutionalized system to train effective leaders; solid buy-in and support of African governments; indigenous leadership styles integrated into modern approaches; and a focus on individual leadership development that benefits the whole of society. | | Copyright Holder | African Community of Practice (AfCoP) | | Copyright URL | http://www.acbf-pact.org | | Filesize | 598145 MB | | File Format | PDF | | [ View / download original document ] |
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