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THE NEXT GENERATION OF LEADERS. THE AFRICAN CASE .

 THE NEXT GENERATION OF LEADERS : THE AFRICAN CASE 




Brookings Institute reports that 70 percent of Sub-Saharan Africa’s population is under 30, representing about 743 million of 1,061 billion people in this region. These statistics represent a robust workforce, also known as the “cheetah generation”, a new and angry generation of young African graduates and professionals who can take up leadership roles from communities to the national level, and look at African issues and problems from a different perspective.

We, the next generation of African leaders, should exhibit three characteristics.

Firstly, we must be able to lead ourselves. Leadership is a way of being, not a position or job title. To become great leaders, we must develop a sense of who we are, what we can do, and where we are going. Coupled with this, we must embrace failure, build resilience, develop emotional mastery, and be lifelong learners. 


Secondly, we must understand how to lead others. To be able to engage, motivate, and manage people, a leader must possess the necessary information, abilities, competence, and understanding. This entails how we can lead effectively. We must learn to hold people accountable for their actions. A culture of accountability promotes progress because people at all levels value learning from mistakes, which fosters trust between a leader and their followers.Trust in leadership lays the solid groundwork required for others to flex, adapt, and prosper during periods of constant change.


Finally, the new generation of African leaders must lead in bigger spaces. Challenging the status quo and seeking transformation means we must know how to lead change. How can we get better? What can we do differently? How can we improve? These are questions we must ask ourselves. While managers seek the status quo, leaders seek to bring change to get better at achieving particular goals. Although leadership is about power, a leader must not be “power over” but must be power “within” and” power to” and this must be seen in us as emerging leaders. 



Imagine Africa having great leaders like Nelson Mandela, Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, Kofi Annan, Patrice Lumumba, and Marcus Garvey in the next thirty to sixty years to come. The perception of Africa will change drastically. We, the fastest generation, must lead in a way that not only recognises the difference but leverages the difference to bring out the best in us.

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