Anyone with an interest in youth development programmes and education will be familiar with the African Leadership Academy, a boarding school in South Africa, which aims to help its students gain a better understanding of what it means to be an ethical, effective leader. Over the next five decades, the ALA intends to create a minimum of 6,000 leaders, who will have the skills, the compassion and the understanding to eradicate poverty and end conflict across the continent. With the support provided by the individuals on its Global Advisory Board, including Tunde Folawiyo, the academy is well on its way to achieving its aims.

Recently, the academy’s Strategic Relations Director, Elmahdi Oummih, spoke to two publications about the work being carried out at the ALA.  He explained that the ultimate goal of the ALA is to encourage students to use their leadership abilities to launch development projects which they are passionate about. It is hoped that these young people will become agents of change, establishing programmes and businesses which will turn Africa into a peaceful and economically stable continent.

Oummih explained that the students who are accepted into the ALA come from a diverse range of backgrounds, with some having grown up in poverty, and others in wealthy environments. An applicant’s financial situation does not affect their chances of being admitted; instead, the ALA focuses on whether or not a potential student has traits which indicate that they have leadership potential.

Members of the Global Advisory Board, including Tunde Folawiyo will be aware of the successes of past pupils of the academy. William Kamkwamba, a graduate of the ALA, is a perfect example of how effective the school’s approach is. An inventor and an entrepreneur, William attended the academy from 2008 to 2010. Prior to applying to the ALA, he had already become a local celebrity in his home country of Malawi, after he constructed a windmill using only scrap materials and blue gum trees. This windmill was then used to power various electrical equipment around his town.

Some years later, he went on to build a water pump which was powered by solar energy; this pump provided his village with the first ever supply of clean drinking water. Speaking about his experience with the academy, William explained that receiving an education at the ALA had given him the confidence and encouragement he needed to pursue his dreams. Since graduating, he has continued to build windmills, and now intends to write a book about his work.