Fred Swaniker: A Quest to Transform Africa

Africa has great potential for change to ensure sustainable growth which could lead to prosperity. With young people at the helm, reshaping the African narrative is no longer a distant dream. According to Fred Swaniker, the African continent lacks ethical leadership. How does ethical leadership change Africa for the better? Well, Fred founded two organisations with a specific focus on leadership: African Leadership Academy and African Leadership University. His goal is to reimagine education and build a network of young African leaders who will spearhead the necessary change.

Fred is passionate about Africa, he was born in Ghana and has lived in 10 different countries including Gambia, Botswana, Zimbabwe and South Africa. Fred went on to complete an MBA at Stanford Business School where he was named an Arjay Miller Scholar for graduating in the top 10% of his class. He began his career as a consultant with McKinsey and Company and is a 2009 Fellow of the Aspen Institute’s Global Leadership Network.

Having lived in a number of African countries, Fred realised a certain beauty on the continent and the passion and resilience of its people. He decided to dedicate the rest of his life to making the continent great. That began with resolving the issue of unethical leadership in Africa – by developing young leaders and entrepreneurs.

“I believe that the next generation to come after this has a unique opportunity to transform the continent…I believe that we need to create African institutions, home-grown, that will identify and develop these leaders in a systematic, practical way. We’ve been doing this for the last 10 years through African Leadership Academy.” Fred Swaniker

African Leadership Academy (ALA) has an internationally recognised accreditation and a demonstrable academic track record, strong extracurricular programmes for absolute development, a diverse environment with a strong African focus. Do you know of an inspirational young person who we could help achieve greatness? Nominate a young leader, and give a young person an opportunity of a lifetime.

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