It’s little wonder so many people, including Tunde Folawiyo, support institutes like the African Leadership Academy. The success of the projects launched by the ALA’s students is quite astonishing, with virtually all of them having had an enormously positive impact on the lives of people across Africa. The work of Priscilla Semphere, a recent graduate of the academy, illustrates just how effective the ALA’s approach to education really is.

With the support of staff members, Priscilla created an organisation called Pen-Africa, which aims to promote African literature, and encourage young Africans to get involved in creative writing projects. Having developed a love of reading during her childhood, Priscilla realised that the vast majority of books available in her home country of Malawi were written by European and American authors; whilst she understood the value of reading works by people from other parts of the world, she also recognised a need to popularise books by authors from her own continent. Pen-Africa has been very successful; not only has it motivated many young Africans to try their hand at writing, but it has also promoted several novels composed by established authors from Africa, and showcased the short stories written by students across the continent.

Using Pen-Africa as her platform, Priscilla has since gone on to launch a children’s book series called Ekari, which aims to break down the barriers between the countries of Africa, and teach children about the many other cultures that exist across the continent. The series is named after its main character, Ekari, an 8 year old girl who travels around Africa, learning about each country’s unique language, music and cuisine. Much like Priscilla’s other ventures, this series has been very well-received, and the first volume is now available internationally.

Those who are familiar with the ALA, such as Tunde Folawiyo, understand how important it is to acknowledge and reward the efforts of hardworking, innovative young people like Priscilla. In recognition of her accomplishments during her first year at the academy, she was given a scholarship from the Colegate-Palmolive Future Leaders programme. This initiative was co-founded by the academy and Colegate, as a means of encouraging talented young people to pursue their educational goals, even if they are experiencing financial hardship; its scholarship covers travel, uniforms, examination fees, boarding, meals and tuition.