Admission > Applying to ALA > Is ALA for you?

Is ALA for you?

By visiting our website, you have taken the first step toward deciding if African Leadership Academy is the right place for you. If you have a deep desire to play a role in Africa’s future, we encourage you to learn more.

Selection Criteria
African Leadership Academy seeks to enroll the most outstanding young leaders from across Africa and around the world. ALA has five criteria for admission:

Academic Achievement
To succeed in the rigorous and challenging ALA curriculum, students must have demonstrated mastery of the subject matter taught at the school they attended before entering the Academy. We expect each applicant to be ranked in the top 10% of their class academically. Our selection committee will closely review scores from national examinations and the marks and comments on each applicant’s school reports. Finalists will also write an entrance examination. If you have achieved success in your academic courses and received high marks on your examinations, African Leadership Academy might be the right place for you.

Leadership Potential
Strong, ethical leadership can transform organizations, communities, and countries. At African Leadership Academy we seek young leaders with the potential to transform Africa. Have you taken on leadership roles in your family, school or community? Is your advice sought when others make important decisions? Do you assist peers or family members when they need help? If so, then African Leadership Academy might be a good place for you. We think of leaders as ‘agents of positive change’. If you have taken concrete steps to change something in your family, school, or community for the better, then you are already acting as a leader. We encourage you to share with us the activities in which you participate and the leadership roles you assume at home, in your school, or in your community, and we hope you will think critically about what “leadership” means to you.

Entrepreneurial Spirit
Entrepreneurs identify needs in the world around them and take action to alleviate those needs. They start businesses, health clinics, youth organizations, and social movements. They bring new products and ideas to the world. Their efforts create value and improve lives. Do you often think about how you can improve the world around you? Do you act when you see a need in your community? Do you enjoy thinking about new ideas and creating new products? If so, African Leadership Academy might be a good place for you. We encourage you to celebrate your entrepreneurial spirit and share your entrepreneurial ideas with us.

Dedication to Public Service
When leaders use their skills for the benefit of their communities, we all benefit. Are you passionate about uplifting your community? Do you dream of a world in which all people are able to realize their dreams? Have you demonstrated this passion at school or in your community? If so, then African Leadership Academy might be the place for you. We hope you will share with us how you plan to give back to your community and the world.

Passion for Africa
Nelson Mandela once said: “I dream of the realization of the unity of Africa, whereby its leaders combine in their efforts to solve the problems of the continent. I dream of our vast deserts, of our forests, of all our great wildernesses.” Do you have an African dream? Are you excited by the idea of spending two years in a community of individuals from a wide range of cultural, ethnic, socioeconomic, and religious backgrounds from across the continent? Are you excited about playing a role in making Africa a peaceful and prosperous continent? If so, African Leadership Academy might be the place for you.

If after reading these selection criteria you believe that African Leadership Academy might be the right place for you, we encourage you to take the next step and apply.