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Supporting the African Leadership Academy | Tunde Folawiyo

With its prominence as a premiere Pan-African institution dedicated to encouraging the growth and education of Africa’s most talented youth, the African Leadership Academy (ALA) Tunde Folawiyorelies greatly on the support of its various individuals, corporations and groups in order to fully operate and maintain a supremely safe, secure and extraordinarily valuable learning experience for the institution’s hundreds of exceptional students. With the immeasurable encouragement of the African Leadership Academy’s many supporters, including those such as Tunde Folawiyo, the institution’s devotion to fostering students of great integrity will continue to make an impact throughout the continent.

While students of exceptional integrity are encouraged to apply to the institution, applications must endure a rigorous application in order to gain entrance into this prestigious academy. The acceptance process utilises a range of short questions and admissions essays to narrow down the pool of qualified applicants. Those hoping to gain admission must also possess a proven record of academic success in order to be considered for entry into the African Leadership Academy’s extensive training programme.

The African Leadership Academy’s curriculum maintains a strict focus on promoting a thorough understanding of the hardships plaguing the continent. These include, but are not limited to issues such as poverty and disease. Once accepted into the institution, students will receive training and education in hunger eradication, health care provision, economic growth, and conflict resolution, all imperative in promoting the prosperity of the continent.

There are many ways for supporters of the Academy to contribute to its further success as an institution. Whether through monetary donations or volunteer opportunities to aid in nurturing connections and mentorships with the institution’s student body, any assistance provided by the public is of great significance for the Academy’s mission. The African Leadership Academy and their network of devoted supporters and fundraisers have collectively raised millions of dollars to continue the institution’s mission throughout Africa and beyond. From the prospect of internship opportunities to the recommending of highly-qualified students’ application to the programme, the public holds great power in ensuring the mission of the African Leadership Academy stands strong through the years.

With a continued mission to foster our next generation of young African leaders, the African Leadership Academy remains a vital entity in the ongoing economic and sociological advancement of the African continent. Through the continued encouragement of the academy’s supporters, including Tunde Folawiyo, the African Leadership Academy will proceed with its mission to serve as a beacon of hope for thousands of African students hoping to make a difference.

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Standards of the African Leadership Academy | Tunde Folawiyo

With an everlasting mission to encourage the personal development and future success of Africa’s youth, the African Leadership Academy serves as a premier Pan-African institution promoting the fostering of today’s future African leaders. Established in 2004, the prestigious African Leadership Academy remains one of the continent’s foremost learning institutions. Through the continued support and encouragement of valued supporters such as Tunde Folawiyo, the African Leadership Academy places a heavy emphasis on empathy and an understanding of significant issues plaguing the continent. Promising African youth accepted into the programme will be trained in the areas of hunger eradication, health care provision, economic growth and conflict resolution – all essential factors in maintaining successful leadership within the continent.

Tunde FolawiyoIn staying true to its continued commitment to its mission of encouraging the personal development of today’s brightest African youth, the Academy established a rigorous application process to fully ensure each applicant could prove an immense desire and adequate ability to make great strides in the further prosperity of Africa. Once accepted into the prestigious academy, students will then embark on an extensive two-year African Studies and Entrepreneurial Leadership programme focused on educating and understanding the numerous hardships faced by the African people.

It’s a widely recognised belief of leaders at the academy that several factors contribute to great leadership. A thriving social life and a healthy mind, body and spirit are all of great significance in the quest to improve the lives of Africans. The institution’s curriculum is built around basic principles promoting personal responsibility and compassion, and empathy for others. The African Leadership Academy’s intensive courses promote training in the areas highly affecting the people of the continent today.

While there are many things that contribute to the role of a great leader, the institution promotes five key factors, each holding significant weight in the acceptance process. These include a proven record of academic achievement, entrepreneurial spirit, leadership potential, a commitment to public service and a profound passion and desire for the advancement of Africa and its people. The application process includes a range of short questions and admission essays, along with the submission of various academic transcripts showcasing exceptional marks in various subjects to further demonstrate adequate intelligence capable of taking on the institution’s rigorous coursework. Although the Academy is able to accept only 100 students to gain admittance to the Academy each year, through the continued support of its various partners, that number may grow in the future. For more information regarding the application process for entrance into the African Leadership Academy or how to become a valued supporter, volunteer or contribute like many others have chosen to do, such as Tunde Folawiyo. Contact admissions@africanleadershipacademy.org or visit the Academy’s website at http://www.africanleadershipacademy.org/

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What type of people does the ALA accept into its school? | Tunde Folawiyo

Anyone who, like Tunde Folawiyo, is interested in youth development projects, will be familiar with the African Leadership Academy. Despite being a relatively new school, the ALA is now considered by many to be one of the finest educational institutes on the continent. One of the reasons for its success is its strict selection criteria; the ALA committee accepts only those who have demonstrated a great deal of courage, initiative and compassion for others. Ayay Adib, a former student who completed his final term with the ALA last summer, is a perfect example of what the academy looks for when selecting candidates.

Whilst Ayay’s family has always been quite affluent, his father made sure that, from a very young age, Ayay was aware of the plight of those less fortunate than himself. In the city of Meknes, where he grew up, many families were homeless and living in total poverty. Ayay’s father introduced him to various associations which had been set up to help street children, so as to ensure that his son always understood the importance of helping others.

His first foray into social entrepreneurialism came about when he was just 13; he set up a club in his secondary school called ‘Let’s Green It’, with the goal of raising awareness of environmentTunde Folawiyoal issues. Spurred on by the success of this venture, he then joined a local charitable organisation called Amali, and began to tutor young orphans. Shortly after this, he became a member of the Bayti association, which provides street children with basic education and support.

Ayay continued to get involved with various projects, and became particularly passionate about supporting small enterprises in under-privileged areas of his city. He offered shop owners advice on how to market their businesses, and helped start-ups to get in touch with potential investors. As the companies which he supported began to flourish, Ayay realised just how much of an impact effective consultancy could have on financially impoverished communities. This is a fact which many businesspeople, including Tunde Folawiyo, are becoming more aware of.

Upon reading of his endeavours, the ALA immediately welcomed Ayay into the school; his theoretical and practical lessons at the academy allowed him to further develop his business and consultancy skills, and inspired him to create an organisation called Fair Farming, which aims to establish agricultural cooperatives, to help farmers increase their income through the use of mobile technology, and to introduce value-added products. This project has been a resounding success; Ayay’s approach has enabled farmers to become more self-sufficient, and run their businesses in a more profitable, efficient and sustainable manner. The creation of cooperatives has proven to be particularly useful, resulting in farmers influencing the market prices of their products and boosting their revenue.

 

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The accomplishments of a former ALA student | Tunde Folawiyo

The African Leadership Academy is an organisation which many people, including Tunde Folawiyo, are now familiar with. It opened its doors just six years ago, welcoming the continent’s brightest young minds into its classrooms, and offering them the chance to learn all that there is to know about entrepreneurialism and effective leadership. Kenza Bouhaj was one of its students; she joined the ALA in 2010, completed her studies two years later, and is now studying at one of the USA’s most prestigious universities, Yale.

Tunde FolawiyoLike all of the ALA’s students, Kenza demonstrated an interest in helping others from a very young age. Growing up in the Moroccan town of Fes, she was acutely aware of the divide between the rich and the poor, and was eager to do her part to narrow the gap between the two. At 14 years of age, she came to the realisation that education was the key to empowering people, and so she established ‘Ahly’, an organisation devoted to providing children from disadvantaged backgrounds with basic literacy classes and shelter. Ahly was such a success, that teenagers from other parts of Morocco were inspired to set up similar groups in their local areas.

After joining the ALA two years later, Kenza learned more not only about her own country’s most pressing issues, but also about the problems which the continent as a whole is facing. For her community project – a task which all students of the academy are required to complete – she chose to set up ‘Refilwe’, which focuses on providing children from poor families in Johannesburg with tutors who can help them with their studies.

Recognising Kenza’s ambition, talent and compassion for others, the staff at the ALA helped her to apply to Yale. After she was accepted, Kenza joined both the African Students Association, and YIRA (the Yale International Relations Association). The latter is an organisation which aims to raise awareness of global issues, and foster debate regarding the world’s most serious problems. As an international businessperson, Tunde Folawiyo will more than likely understand the importance of YIRA.

Within the organisation, Kenza works as the director of a programme called Hemispheres, which offers afterschool lessons to teenagers on foreign affairs, particularly those related to the non-proliferation treaty, the unrest in Middle Eastern countries, and human rights violations across the African continent. It was originally established during the nineties, but as there were so few people interested in it, and no-one to run it, Hemispheres was shut down. But with Kenza’s knowledge and support, the programme is now up and running again, and has proven to be very popular with teens in the local area.

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How one ALA student is changing the face of African literature | Tunde Folawiyo

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.

Tunde FolawiyoWith 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.

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The remarkable journey of one ALA student | Tunde Folawiyo

Anyone who is familiar with the ALA, like Tunde Folawiyo, will be aware that the students who study at this academy are exceptional in many ways, with a significant number of them having surmounted enormous obstacles in order to achieve their educational goals. Paul Lorem is one such person; he attended the ALA several years ago, and is now studying at Yale University.

He spent the first five years of his life in a South Sudanese village which had no schools, health clinics or infrastructure to speak of. When he contracted tuberculosis, his family had no option but to travel to a refugee camp in Kenya, in order to find a doctor who could treat him. His parents later passed away, and Paul was left in the camp, being cared for by boys just a few years his senior.Tunde Folawiyo

With support from the UNHCR (United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees), he and his peers were given tools to help them build better shelters for themselves. However, the education they received did not amount to much more than basic literacy classes, which often consisted of hundreds of students being taught by a single teacher.

But Paul’s thirst for knowledge and natural intelligence was evident, even in these challenging circumstances, and his teacher helped him to attend the Alliance High School in Kenya. It was whilst studying here that Paul was told of the African Leadership Academy. He applied and, after reading of how he had overcome adversity and diligently applied himself to his studies, despite his impoverished living situation, the academy quickly accepted him.

The skills, knowledge and entrepreneurial opportunities he was given whilst at the ALA enabled him to gain a better understanding of Africa’s most serious issues, and how he could resolve them. Towards the end of his time at the ALA, he worked with one of the academy’s university advisors, who then helped him to apply to some of the world’s top universities. This is one of the reason why so many people, including Tunde Folawiyo, support youth development programmes like the ALA; they provide young people from disadvantaged backgrounds with the opportunity to excel in their careers, and do something amazing with their lives.

Paul was later accepted into Yale.  He has said that after graduating, he intends to return to South Sudan, and help to rebuild his home country., Paul recently became involved in the YAAPD (the Yale Undergraduate Association for African Peace and Development), which aims to promote development, conflict resolution and peace in Africa.

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Fred Swaniker – changing Africa for the better | Tunde Folawiyo

Fred Swaniker, a well-known Ghanaian entrepreneur, has accomplished many things over the course of his relatively brief career; however, his most notable achievement is undoubtedly the co-founding of the African Leadership Academy, a boarding school which has providing hundreds of talented young people across the continent with the opportunity to learn about leadership, and entrepreneurialism.

Swaniker himself has a strong educational background, having received his undergraduate degree from Macalester College, and his MBA from Stanford University.  He began his career with a South African consulting company, and throughout the next few years, he worked in many African countries, including Tanzania, Ghana, South Africa, and the homeland of Tunde Folawiyo, Nigeria.

It was during this period of time that Swaniker became acutely aware of the need for better schools around the continent. Realising that that Africa’s development could only be sustained and accelerated through the systematic cultivation of leaders, he decided to establish the African Leadership Academy, with the help of Chris Bradford.

Fellows of the African Leadership Network, such as Tunde Folawiyo, may know that each year, the ALA selects 125 students, whom its committee believe have the iTunde Folawiyontelligence, determination and courage to implement ideas and projects which will transform Africa into a prosperous and peaceful place. The programme lasts for two years; Swaniker has likened it to the African version of the Rhodes Scholarship, as it aims to nurture and support the continent’s most promising young minds.

Over the next five decades, he hopes to create a minimum of 6000 leaders, who may then go on to work as entrepreneurs, doctors, teachers, philosophers, university presidents, governors of central banks and politicians. With their expertise, experience, and understanding of Africa’s needs, they will be able to change the continent for the better, addressing and resolving its most significant problems.

Swaniker and Bradford’s efforts have not gone unnoticed; in 2006, two years after the ALA was first established, an international non-profit called Echoing Green named the two men in their list of the world’s top 15 social entrepreneurs. Three years later, Swaniker was named as TED Fellow, and in 2010, he was  chosen as one of the 115 leaders who would attend the Forum for Young African Leaders, which was led by President Obama. More recently, he was recognised as a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum.

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The achievements of ALA students | Tunde Folawiyo

The application process for the African Leadership Academy is designed in such a way that only those who have true leadership potential are accepted. Young men and women who have this natural aptitude are then taken under the academy’s wing, and given all of the knowledge and experience that they need in order to become successful leaders and entrepreneurs. Despite the fact that the academy has only been in operation for a few years, its students – both past and present – have already begun to achieve a great deal.

Tunde FolawiyoJoseph Munyambanza is one such example. Like many ALA students, Joseph grew up in poverty; at the age of six, he and his family were forced to flee from the Democratic Republic of Congo, due to the conflict which was taking place there, and create a home for themselves in a refugee camp in Uganda. Whilst this must have been extremely difficult, Joseph did not allow this to deter him from his studies, as he recognised that education was the key to resolving many of Africa’s issues – a sentiment which many people, including Tunde Folawiyo, understand.

He excelled academically and, wishing for other refugees to do the same, he set up CIYOYA (Corburwas International Youth Organisation to Transform Africa) at the age of 14. His aim was to provide young refugees in Sudan, Rwanda, Uganda, Burundi and Congo with the education they needed. As well as running the organisation itself, Joseph was also involved in tutoring primary school students.

His efforts resulted in the children’s grades improving dramatically. However, he noticed that the girls’ attendance rates were lower than the boys; to address this issue, he created a more comprehensive support system within the organisation, which encouraged female students to stay on and complete their exams. This was a great success, and the numbers of girls successfully finishing primary school rose significantly.

Joseph then applied to the ALA; due to the incredible tenacity and courage which he had demonstrated during his young life, he was immediately accepted. Graduating in 2010, he has since gone on to accomplish even more. After being awarded a MasterCard Foundation scholarship, he was able to accept a place at Westminster College, where he is now studying biochemistry. In addition to this, he serves as one of the 15 International Education advisors to Gordon Brown and the UN Secretary General and, like Tunde Folawiyo, Joseph is also an African Leadership Fellow.

 

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CEO of African Leadership Academy attends business leadership event | Tunde Folawiyo

Recently, the annual MTN Business World Executive Breakfast Meeting was held in Accra; the purpose of this event is to provide Ghanaian entrepreneurs, senior management professionals and CEOs with the opportunity to discuss important issues, network and engage with one another. The theme for this year’s meeting was leadership in business, a subject which is close to Fred Swaniker’s heart.

As the co-founder of the ALA, Swaniker is a strong advocate for leadership-focused education, which provides young people with the guidance and the resources they need to become successful entrepreneurs and politicians in the future. He runs the academy with support from its Global Advisory Board, which includes members such as Tunde Folawiyo.

At the event, Swaniker argued that giving teenagers the chance to learn about leadership whilst they are still young will ensure that they have the confidence and the knowledge to become fair, ethical and effective leaders when they reach adulthood. He pointed out that, whilst it is clear that Africa is in need of leaders who can liberate the masses from lives of poverty, there are still very few organisations on the continent that are willing to nurture young people’s talents. Swaniker was adamant that the key to the positive growth and development of African nations lies with the youth of the continent.

Tunde FolawiyoHis argument appears to have more than a ring of truth to it, as the students at the ALA are already using the skills and knowledge they have acquired at the academy to address issues such as conflict and poverty. One example of this would be the project founded by the ALA graduate Sophie Anunda, which is called ‘I am Kenyan’. Anyone who, like Tunde Folawiyo, is familiar with the difficulties faced by the Kenyan people in recent years will have heard of with this initiative.

Its primary goal is to promote the concepts of patriotism and peace in Kenya, particularly during times when conflict is likely to arise, such as during general elections. After the 2007 presidential elections, several violent clashes between tribes resulted in over 1,500 deaths, and several hundred thousand people being displaced. Many people believe that the ethnicisation of politics is the root cause of this violence; this is often used by politicians as a type of campaign strategy.

The objective of the ‘I am Kenyan’ initiative is achieved mainly through the medium of photography; it is hoped that the powerful images taken will remind the people of this country that they must first identify each other, and themselves, as Kenyan, before they begin to identify themselves and their peers as being of different ethnicities. The project was launched in Kenya’s capital city, Nairobi, with a public march which was attended by over 1,000 people.

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ALA student sets up Moroccan entrepreneur project | Tunde Folawiyo

With support from the African Leadership Network, an organisation with the help of members such as Tunde Folawiyo, the African Leadership Academy has been nurturing the minds of young leaders for several years now, supporting them as they pursue their entrepreneurial goals.

A prime example of the effectiveness of the ALA’s approach is the REC (Rabat Entrepreneurial Challenge). This was launched by a student of the ALA. The student in question, a girl named Jihad Hajouji, invited four of her peers at the ALA – Salma Ait Hssayene, Kaoutar Raj, Kamelia Lechani and Hafsa Anouar, to collaborate with her on a project she wished to launch. They accepted, and in December of 2009, work on the REC began.

Tunde FolawiyoEssentially, this project is a summer training programme, which enables high school students to learn more about the basics of entrepreneurship, a subject which is covered in great depth at the academy. Jihad hopes that, by educating young people about business and encouraging them to set up their own enterprises, she can help to address one of Morocco’s most serious issues – high unemployment rates. Businessmen such as Tunde Folawiyo understand just how important a project of this kind is; unemployment can have a devastating effect on a country’s economy.

Setting up the programme required a great deal of work; members of the team had to organise fundraising events, design the curriculum and recruit participants. Moreover, because there were two teams carrying out these preparatory tasks – one based in South Africa, the other in Morocco – each group had to maintain near constant communication with the other, so as to ensure that the plans went ahead as smoothly as possible, without any confusion or delays.

The programme was launched the following summer. Over the course of the last three years, it has expanded, and is now run in several different parts of Morocco. Hundreds of young people have participated, with many of them becoming so inspired by the experience that they went on to set up their own entrepreneurial projects. During an interview about the project, Jihad discussed her thoughts on its success, explaining that whilst the project was certainly challenging at times, all of the hard work paid off, and she was very glad to have been involved. She spoke of expanding the project even further, provided there is sufficient funding to do so.