Welcome To the Africa Leadership Foundation (ALF)

OUR IDENTITY

The Africa Leadership Foundation (ALF) is a multi-disciplinary knowledge-driven development organization focusing on Leadership, Governance, Democracy, Gender Equality, Digital, and Economic Empowerment.

Our focus on these themes is premised on their direct impact on Africa, her citizens, and her development and it aligns with the Agenda 2063 of the African Union

About ALF

The Africa Leadership Foundation (ALF) is Africa’s premier civil society and not-for-profit organization. It grew out of the need to assist in improving the capacity and competency of African leaders to confront development challenges.

It was established in 1998 as a strategic response to the widespread and palpable crises of leadership and management. Part of ALF’s mission is to develop leadership capacities in Africa in order to increase productivity of major actors in government, parliament, business and civil society. In this way, conditions for the development of the continent in an environment of peace, stability and security will be created. A range of high-level conference, seminars, workshops and publications address the quest for effective leadership, efficient management and enhancement of leadership skills. The establishment of ALF was not fortuitous. It was in response to a number of very pressing challenges facing post-independence Africa.

Before the establishment of ALF, there was no serious Africa led, Africa managed, and Africa initiated Foundation where leaders could meet and exchange experiences with the view to improving their performance. No less worrying was the difficulty involved in gaining access to relevant data on issues of national, regional or global importance.

ALF was thus established as an expression of commitment to contributing in a constructive and positive way to the search for solution to some of these problems, by developing leadership capabilities in Africa in order to increase output in government, the parliament, the business, the civil society and to create conditions conducive to the development of the continent in an environment of peace, stability and security.

OBJECTIVES OF ALF

The principal objective of the Foundation is the enhancement of leadership performance and qualities at all levels and in all walks of life in Africa. The Foundation’s aims are:

To encourage the diagnosis, understanding and informed search for solutions to local, regional and global problems, taking account of their inter-relationships and mutual consequences, involving both current and future leaders;
To develop, organize and support programmes for the training of able, capable and promising Africans with leadership potential so as to expose them to the demands, duties and obligations of leadership positions and to prepare them systematically to assume higher responsibilities and to meet the challenges of an interdependent world;
To generate greater understanding and to enhance the knowledge and awareness of development and social problems within a global context among young, potential leaders from all sectors of society, cutting across national, regional, continental, professional and institutional borders and with a view to fostering close and enduring relationships and promoting life – long association and co-operation among such potential leaders;
To support and encourage the diagnosis and informed search for appropriate and effective solutions to local and regional African problems from an African perspective – within the framework of global interdependence-, including consideration of phased action programmes that can be initiated by various communities, countries, sub-regions and institutions, drawing on current leaders and decision-makers, scientists and younger persons.
To sensitize incumbent leaders and policymakers, the media and the public at large – both in and outside Africa – on national, regional and global problems of development, strategy, environment and management in a way to facilitate their effective contributions to solutions.
To harness and utilize for settlement of conflicts, reconciliation and establishment of harmony among African countries and among Africans, the influence and moral authority of leaders especially the residual influence and moral authority of those not currently in executive positions;
To undertake actions and measures that will promote and sustain democratic practice and culture in Africa;
To disseminate information, ideas, solutions to problems, works, reports and activities of the Foundation through publications of books, journals videos and other means of passing information and knowledge;
To assist in the development of the spirit and culture of entrepreneurship, self-employment and job creation among young professional, especially those with an inclination towards and interest in business activities;
To develop close network, outreach and cooperation with organizations, institutions and individuals inside and outside Africa, with a view to promoting and enhancing the work of the Foundation and for mobilization and coordination of effort and resources.

Our Core Values

The three (3) operational arms of the Africa Leadership Foundation

Some of our Projects

Creation of the Maputo Protocol Scorecard and Index (MPSI)

This was an initiative funded by the UNDP and implemented by ALF in South-South Zone of Nigeria in preparation for the 2011 general election. Provision of education, knowledge and awareness on roles and responsibility of stakeholders in germane to successful conduct of elections and sustenance of democracy in any nation. This intervention impacted in the successful and peaceful conduct of the 2011 elections in that region.

Creation of the Solemn Declaration Index Framework

It is important to mention that the ALF is deeply committed to gender equity and equality as this is reflected in our employment and recruitment policy. Furthermore, the ALF contributed immensely into the drafting and advocacy document on gender equality in Africa which culminated to the creation of the Solemn Declaration of Gender Equality in Africa (SDGEA) adopted by the Head of States and Government of the African Union in 2004. This instrument is a tool used in measuring countries’ adherence and compliance to gender equality statutes among African countries. ALF is equally represented and sits on executive committee/ board of several gender advocacy agencies in Africa.

ALF Tech Hub

The Tech Hub is targeted at small tech-based businesses to enable them overcome the challenges of starting up – in terms of workspace, equipment and initial operational costs. Currently, the hub has incubated several start-up businesses of which one of the incubatees, HelpMum, won first place and best performance award with cash prize of $3000 and 3-month acceleration programme, out of 175 entries at the 2017 International Hackathon, Innovate4Life, in Nairobi, Kenya in February 2017. This same incubatee also one of the 1000 awardees of the 2017 Tony Elumelu Entrepreneur, which comes with a business grant of $5000 and mentoring.