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Profiles

What is a leader?
At African Leadership Academy, we define a leader as an "agent of positive change". Here are the profiles of two African Leaders in action. How will you play a role in Africa's future?

The Honorable Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf
President of the Republic of Liberia   
Born: 29 October 1938
Secondary School: College of West Africa, Monrovia, Liberia
University: Madison Business College and University of Colorado at Boulder
Graduate Studies: Harvard University, Master of Public Administration
Notable: Johnson-Sirleaf became Africa’s first female elected head of state when she was elected President of Liberia in 2005.
On Liberia: “The poorest people of Liberia – some of the poorest people in the
world – must not pay the price for the lack of accountability in which they played no part and had no responsibility.”
On the World: “Across Africa and around the world, we must show that freedom can deliver prosperity and peace. Failure to do so will be more costly than we can contemplate and in Liberia that failure could be catastrophic.”

To learn more about Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, click here.

Dr. Achankeng Leke
Partner, McKinsey and Company and Co-Founder, African Leadership Academy  
Born: 30 November 1972
Secondary School: College de la Retraite, Yaounde, Cameroon
University: Georgia Institute of Technology, B.S. Electrical Engineering
Graduate Studies: Stanford University, Ph.D. Electrical Engineering and M.S. Industrial Engineering and Engineering Management
Notable: Leke was the first black Partner of the Johannesburg office of McKinsey and Company, one of the world’s leading strategic consultancies. He was also the first black Valedictorian in the history of Georgia Institute of Technology.
On Africa: “Africa is our home. We owe it to ourselves and to the continent to each play a role – however small it may be – in helping support and sustain its nascent economic rebirth.”
On Leadership: “Leadership is what has failed Africa over the past decades. Thus the strong need to develop the next generation of African leaders – ethical, committed, and respected men and women who can transform our continent.”

To learn more about Acha Leke, click here.