• Lead by influence rather than authority

• Empower your team to achieve greater results and take responsibility

• Build a culture of ownership and a passion for achievement

• Transform a key part of your business to unlock performance

• Coach and enable your team to learn and grow

Leaders can often struggle to effectively empower their people and lead change in their organization. Traditional training courses are heavy on theory, but rarely lead to real change and improved performance.

The Executive Leadership Course for Africa’s Food Security offers a unique blended-learning approach, combining lively interactive in-person workshops with individual online study, practical team-based activities, and the chance to apply what you’re learning in your job.

The program begins by bringing together 24 active executive leaders from across the private and public sectors in East and Southern Africa to learn the latest in leadership and management strategies. To ensure learning continues outside of workshops, participants will participate in monthly webinars, carry out their leadership learning project, and have access to an “online academy” with learning modules, tools, toolkits, case studies and customized material relevant to food security leadership. At the conclusion of the six-month program the cohort comes back together to showcase their work and how they’ve advanced their organization’s goals through their new leadership approach.

Geography: Applicants must be citizens or permanent residents of a country located within either the East African Community (EAC) or Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) and the institution which the organization works for must be located in EAC or COMESA countries.

Countries from which participants and supporting institutions are eligible :

• Burundi
• Comoros
• D.R. Congo
• Djibouti
• Egypt
• Eritrea
• Ethiopia
• Kenya
• Libya
• Madagascar
• Malawi
• Mauritius
• Rwanda
• Seychelles
• South Sudan
• Sudan
• Swaziland
• Uganda
• Tanzania
• Zambia
• Zimbabwe

Language: Applicants must have a “Proficient” level (C1) of English language skills.

Employment & leadership position within an organization working in the agriculture and/or food security sector: Eligible organizations include private firms and associations, governments, civil society organizations, learning and research institutions.Applicants’ organizations must be located in the EAC and/or COMESA region or member states. Applicants upon selection to the program will be required to provide a letter of support from their employer verifying their status.

Acceptance of payment terms:

• All selected participants will receive a full-scholarship from Africa Lead for the course valued at $3,125.
• Selected participants (or sponsoring institutions) will be required to pay travel and lodging costs for the Course Kickoff event. Lodging costs will be $500.
• Africa Lead will cover travel and lodging costs for the Course Finale in August 2019. Participants who do not complete the course activities will not attend the Finale.

Full Participation: In order to successfully complete the program and receive the certificate of completion from Africa Lead and the African Management Initiative, the participant will be required to attend both mandatory in-person sessions, as well as participate in 100% of all 12 online learning activities (2 sessions per month for 6 months). Failure to meet this participation requirement will result in the supporting institution being notified. No refund of fees will be possible.

Applications are assessed on the applicants eligibility as outlined above and an applicants relevance to the course objectives and the selection criteria explained below. You must show that:

1. YOU are committed to personal and professional growth and learning
2. YOU are passionate and committed to creating and leading leadership development for others, both inside and outside of your organizations
3. YOU hold a top level management position and you lead the organization in taking decisions on behalf of the organization ((eg, Private Sector: CEO, Vice President; Government: Cabinet Minister, Permanent Secretary, Director; Civil Society: Executive Director, Deputy Director) from strategy to overseeing lines of management)
4. YOUR ORGANIZATION participates in and impacts upon the agriculture economy and/or policy framework at the national, regional and/or continental level
5. YOUR ABILITY TO CLEARLY EXPRESS your interest in the program and your proposed Leadership Learning Project.

Application & Notification Dates

• Deadline for Applications: December 12, 2018
• December 21, 2018 – Notification of advancement to finalist round
• December 26 – January 11, 2019 – Finalist round interviews
• January 22, 2019 – Notification of acceptance to program
• January 25, 2019 – Confirmation of mandatory payment for Course Kickoff lodging ($500) by selected participants (or sponsoring institutions)
  • January 28, 2019 – Waiting list participants notified of available open slots
  • Feb. 1, 2019 – Confirmation of lodging payment from any person selected off waiting list

Mandatory Participation Program Dates

• Cohort Orientation Webinar for Participants: February 11, 2019
• Kickoff Event – Nairobi, Kenya: February 18 – 20, 2019
  In-person kickoff sessions with entire cohort in Nairobi, Kenya. Facilitated by AMI and Africa Lead, participants will set leadership project goals.
• E-Courses: 2 Monthly Webinars: February – July 2019 (Specific dates to be announced)
  Twice a month participate in online learning and work on leadership project goals created at the beginning of the training.
• Course Final Event – Nairobi, Kenya:  Aug. 12 – 14, 2019
  Conclude your six-month course by presenting your final leadership learning project to your cohort of leaders at a 3-day event in Nairobi, Kenya