A leadership development program like no other.
ALA identifies young leaders from across the continent with demonstrated leadership potential, a passion for Africa, an entrepreneurial spirit, and a track record of community service. After graduating, we continue to cultivate these leaders throughout their lives by providing on-going leadership training, supporting their growth through access to internships and careers and connecting them to high-impact networks of people and capital that will empower them to create transformative change.
More than 32,582 potential young leaders have applied to the African Leadership Academy
Networks and opportunities enable entrepreneurs and leaders to transform ideas to action. African Leadership Academy actively seeks to connect its students to opportunities throughout their lives, encouraging each young leader to establish meaningful connections that will enhance their personal, leadership and career growth
ALA is one of the most prestigious education institutions in the world, with a unique financial model designed to enable us to identify, develop and connect Africa’s future leaders. Everyone who applies and is then admitted to ALA, regardless of financial background or nationality, is eligible to receive significant financial assistance in the form of scholarships and loans towards studying at ALA and accessing membership to our lifelong network.
African Leadership Academy is unlike any other educational institution you will come across. At ALA we seek to change Africa! We believe that this transformation lies in the hands and minds of young people with a desire to move the continent toward peace and prosperity. At ALA we will challenge you to realize your academic and leadership potential. You will be encouraged to begin addressing the social, economic, and political issues facing Africa. You will be asked to think critically about your role in our changing world.
ALA’s selection process is extremely competitive. The Academy receives several thousand applications from a diverse array of African countries each year. These applicants come from a wide range of social, economic, cultural & educational backgrounds. The application includes short questions and essays and must be submitted with academic transcripts.
African Leadership Academy’s campus on the outskirts of Johannesburg, South Africa, is an ideal environment for learning and self-discovery. Our campus is built around a circular quad where students meet, interact, and study. The space includes an auditorium, dormitories, sports fields and more.
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.
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.
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!
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
