Many African Leadership Academy students stay in touch with one another after graduating. Not too long ago, two such students, who had gone on to study at Colorado College and Westminster College, received $10,000, after they won the Kathryn Davis Prize for Peace for their collaborative project in Kenya.

Those interested in youth entrepreneurialism, such as Tunde Folawiyo, will probably know of the Davis Prize. This was set up this award seven years ago, in order to encourage young people to work towards conflict-resolution and peace around the world. The competition runs across 90 campuses in the US, and the money awarded to the winners is used to expand and improve upon their projects. The aforementioned ALA graduates, named Joseph Munyambanza and Benjamin Munyao, won the prize for setting up the ‘Vijana Amkeni Sasa Initiative’, which aims to firstly, unearth the reasons behind the post-election violence which frequently occurs in Kenya, and secondly, to discourage young teens from getting involved in this type of conflict.

Their project involved conducting workshops on subjects such as entrepreneurship, youth empowerment and youth leadership. They also hired a guest speaker, who helped them to explain the importance of establishing a peaceful society.  Lastly, they launched a national campaign entitled ‘Youth for Peace’, in a bid to prevent any further violence during or after the presidential elections which took place in March of 2013.

Another ALA graduate, by the name of Hafsa Anouar, was also awarded a $10,000 cash prize by the Davis foundation, after he organised a 10-day summer event entitled ‘National Entrepreneurial Camp’ in Morocco. The camp was designed to help teens aged between 16 and 19 to get to grips with the basics of entrepreneurialism, with the view that this would help to address the country’s issue of youth unemployment over the coming years. Those involved in the world of business, like Tunde Folawiyo, will understand the importance, and the value of this type of initiative.

In an interview, Hafsa explained that the overall rate of unemployment in Morocco is 9%, and that the government was simply not doing enough to create work for young adults. He went on to say that his goal is to transform the younger generation into a group of job creators, who are able to set up their own ventures. His training camp was not a one-off affair, but rather the beginning of a series of regular events which will continue to run for the foreseeable future.