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African Leadership AcademyAfrican Leadership Academy

#RedefineExpectations

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Young leaders who have studied in our 2-year diploma
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African countries are represented in the student & alumni network
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Gender distribution in our student body
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Africa’s future will be shaped by young people who commit each day to think differently, to break boundaries, and to do hard things.

Where expectations are low, mediocrity thrives. But we must not simply set higher expectations. We must redefine our expectations entirely, recognizing that the opportunities and possibilities in Africa are limited only by our own imagination and commitment.

At ALA, we believe that young people can dream big, take action and change the world. Our youth are not only our hope for the future. They are our leaders today. They will be Africa’s greatest generation.

Together, we will redefine expectations.

Stories of Impact

Brian Waweru

Brian Waweru ’09 – Driving African Development through Finance

“The formula to success is taking risks. You cannot put yourself in a position to get the desired results if you do not take that first risk. I love my career as an investor; every time we invest in a company or an entrepreneur, we are taking risks. You cannot be successful if you have not taken risks. You cannot be successful if you have not taken risks.”

Eddie Ndopu ’08 – Advocating for People Living with Disabilities

Eddie Ndopu ’08 – Advocating for People Living with Disabilities

“90% of children living with disabilities have never seen the insides of a classroom. I use my life to demonstrate to children with disabilities that they can become the protagonists in the story of their own lives. I have a voice and I get to use my voice in service of things that really matter.”

Ny Ony Razafindratandra ’11 – Telling African Stories through Music

Ny Ony Razafindratandra ’11 – Telling African Stories through Music

“I feel like music is a tool for me to make positive change on the continent. The highlight of my musical journey was the validation of 4,000 people in a stadium singing my song from top to bottom without me having to sing it… It has been really nice to see how much impact one can have on a younger generation and even the older generation of people just who want to change.”

Ngor Majak Anyieth ’11 – Educating for Peace in South Sudan

Ngor Majak Anyieth ’11 – Educating for Peace in South Sudan

“If you were to Google South Sudan today, all you’ll see is violence and bloodshed. It doesn’t represent the whole picture or the South Sudan I am working towards. I am working to build a network of secondary schools across South Sudan that will use educational spaces for peace-building as well as leadership development for young people.”

Spencer Horne ’08 – Building the Supply Chain for Remote Communities

Spencer Horne ’08 – Building the Supply Chain for Remote Communities

“We have communities that live sometimes in a state of stagnation where it seems that we cannot shift where they are in the cycle of poverty. Any attempt to do that without connecting them to the global economy will not succeed. How could we expect people to pull themselves by the bootstraps, or produce something that someone else will want to buy when they cannot get those goods to local and regional markets?”

Rima Tahini ’10 – Developing Africa’s Next Music Stars

Rima Tahini ’10 – Developing Africa’s Next Music Stars

“For me, it’s beyond being in entertainment; it is about building one of the leading industries in Africa today. I hope to see the African music industry grow, and I want the industry to be developed to a place where we have institutions within it and our artists can flourish and have platforms and opportunities. That feeling of seeing someone go from zero to becoming a star is very fulfilling.”

Oyindamola Adefisayo ’08 – Combating Multi-Drug Resistant Tuberculosis

Oyindamola Adefisayo ’08 – Combating Multi-Drug Resistant Tuberculosis

“Science education on the continent, unfortunately is lacking in many ways. I do not just want to use my research to find new drugs or find new therapies, I want to use it as a space to increase the interest in the sciences and to build capacity for scientific research on the African continent.”

Wuntia Gomda ’17 & Jesse Forrester ’17 – Building Climate-Resilient Cities

Wuntia Gomda ’17 & Jesse Forrester ’17 – Building Climate-Resilient Cities

“As a Kenyan and a Ghanaian, meeting in South Africa for a project that will benefit neither of our countries but other Africans exemplifies the true spirit of Pan-Africanism. We have a target of positively impacting 5,000 people over the next ten years through The Living Machine. We want to see many people grow and have access to quality food and a better lifestyle. The Living Machine is bigger than just the two of us, or even ALA”.

Kwasi Adu-Berchie '09

Kwasi Adu-Berchie ’09 – Pursuing a Breakthrough Cure for Cancer

“I am passionate about seeing things through from the beginning to the end. I am interested in finding out if there are affordable ways of treating cancer. I believe that as an engineer I am properly equipped to think creatively about how we can develop these approaches in a cost-effective way so that people living in third world countries can afford it.”

Jihad Hajjouji ’08 – Equipping Education Entrepreneurs for Impact

Jihad Hajjouji ’08 – Equipping Education Entrepreneurs for Impact

“I believe that access to quality education can transform lives, and I work with a community of entrepreneurs to make that happen. I really enjoy helping others to fulfill their potential. One of the things that inspires me in working with school leaders across the continent is seeing the impact that they’re able to have against the odds. This idea of maximizing resources to give the best to students is what drives me.”

The Alumni Experience

ALA provides alumni with life-long access to powerful networks, support and opportunities that will accelerate their impact and leadership journeys.

Find out more

Testimonials

African Leadership Academy

My daughter began teaching me about the new project that I was embarking on. I was so proud that my 15-year-old daughter is teaching me. Sending her to ALA helped her see the world from a different perspective.

Rasha El Geoshy
Egypt/ Mother of ALA student
Eddie Ndopu ’08

One of my greatest achievements to date was to be appointed by the Secretary General of the United Nations to serve as 1 of 17 advocates for the sustainable development goals where I will solve some of the toughest issues facing humanity. If I didn’t go to ALA I would not be where I am today. It changed the trajectory of my life.

Eddie Ndopu
‘08 South Africa
Brian Waweru

When I joined ALA, my passion for finance and business was fostered. I currently work as an investment specialist, focussed on African investment initiatives that will change the continent.

Brian Warewu
‘09 Kenya
Jesse Forrester

Together with Wuntia Gomda, we designed the Wastewater Treatment System, which has the capacity to clean 300K litres of water annually. When we – through ALA – won the 2019 Zayed Sustainability Prize is a moment that I am never going to forget.

Jesse Forrester
‘09 Kenya
African Leadership Academy

ALA shaped my daughter Waigumo  into the leader she is today. My deep appreciation goes to the school for providing opportunities to enable her embrace and truly discover her multifaceted characteristics and unknown talents.

Through the various opportunities ALA provided, she developed sound depth in academic research, engaged in arenas that increased her holistic knowledge on African youth and political leadership, empowerment of women on the African continent and engaged in riveting discourses on how to propel the versatile continent into unforeseen heights. With fondness, we are  grateful to ALA for not only  inspiring  her deep passion for mathematics but  propelling  her to a mind shift of holistic excellence;   By gaining a network of like-minded and lifelong friends, I have no doubt that Waigumo will aid in the development of a more equitable, sustainable, and technologically driven future for Africa.

Wachuka Njama
Waigumo Njama, ALA '18
African Leadership Academy

Every student is unique but she/he needs to be nurtured further in order to bloom and ALA is the place that provides the necessary space and opportunities to bring out this uniqueness of its students. Here, no one is a competitor to anyone but rather, only a complement for each other. The student only competes with herself/himself to reach greater heights. How ALA transforms young promising minds within 2 years (filled with challenges, opportunities, diversity, care and fun) into future passionate leaders, can only be experienced and cherished over a lifetime by a parent.

Priyabrata Mandal
Annanyabrata Mandal, ALA '18
Brian Waweru

One of the things that I learnt at ALA is how to be a pioneer. Don’t be afraid of big ideas that scare you.

Brian Warewu
‘09 Kenya
African Leadership Academy

In 2009, a friend casually mentioned a certain African Leadership Academy during our morning work out. The following year, I went to Johannesburg to see this too-good-to-be-true Academy. Fast-forward 10 years after that visit, all my children have graduated from ALA! I don’t know of any better transformational experience my wife and I could have offered our children!

Awoke Ogbo
Chiro Ogbo, ALA 18'
African Leadership Academy

I look forward to going out into the world and applying the skills and competencies that I have acquired at ALA so as to inspire other and make the change that I seek in the world.

Trevon Lwere
‘16 Uganda
African Leadership Academy

When Francis approached us back in 2013, as Parents, that he wanted to go to ALA, and would therefore fall behind by a year, if he was to leave Bishop Mackenzie International School (BMIS)  in Lilongwe, Malawi, we debated the merit of this audacious move. Eventually, we resolved that, no, let us not stand in his way. Let him join ALA, maybe his destiny will be shaped there. I am glad to say, we do not regret he attended ALA. By the time he was finishing at ALA, we noticed that he had certainly matured beyond his age and peers at BMIS. He was brimming with enthusiasm and full of confidence, with a clear focus of what he wanted to do in life.  We believe ALA taught him to believe in himself.

Lemson Chitawo
Francis Chitawo, ALA '14
African Leadership Academy

If am happy to see who he has become, and I hope other parents will consider ALA for their child. I can assure them that they will not make a mistake. The transformation in my son is that he now knows who he wants to be.

Aisha Usman
Nigeria/ Mother of ALA Student
African Leadership Academy

I am glad that I made the decision to send my daughter to ALA . She is more articulate, expressive and certain about her purpose in life.

Wale Edenuga
Nigeria/ Father of ALA student