Latest News

The ALI SA fellowship is a testament to the power of collective leadership. As external challenges reshape the landscape, we remain focused on solutions that strengthen our community and drive meaningful progress. Navigating the complexities of our global landscape reveals the significant impact that external factors can have on our progress. Recent decisions affecting aid to Africa underscore the...

In the heart of Johannesburg, amidst an atmosphere of anticipation and promise, the Africa Leadership Initiative South Africa (ALI SA) recently hosted a momentous welcome dinner for its newest cohort, Class XV. The event marked the beginning of an 18-month journey that promises to transform these accomplished individuals into catalysts for change across the African continent. A Gathering of Visio...

In February, the Africa Leadership Initiative South Africa (ALI-SA) and the Southern Africa Labour & Development Research Unit (SALDRU) convened their second joint policy dialogue, focusing on “The Shadow Economy and Extortion in South Africa.” This critical discussion is part of the lead-up to SALDRU’s SA at 30 Years of Democracy conference, scheduled for 2-4 April 2025. Crime a...

On a recent afternoon, ALI SA Class Representatives gathered for a lunch with Stace Lindsay, where they engaged in a thought-provoking discussion on the “Meaning of Fellowship.” This moderated conversation explored the heart of what it means to be part of the ALI SA network, uncovering themes that resonated deeply with all present. The discussion highlighted the sense of belonging, cu...

We are proud to share that ALI SA Fellow Kuben Naidoo has been appointed to President Cyril Ramaphosa’s Economic Advisory Council. This prestigious appointment comes as South Africa prepares to take on the G20 presidency, highlighting the critical role our Fellows play in shaping national policy. Kuben brings a wealth of experience to this role. Currently serving as the Head of Corporate Pay...

ALI SA Fellow Phathiswa Magopeni has been appointed as the new Executive Director of the Press Council of South Africa (PCSA), marking a significant milestone in her illustrious career and a pivotal moment for media accountability in South Africa. With over 20 years of strategic and editorial leadership experience, Phathiswa brings a wealth of knowledge to her new role. Her career includes notabl...

On 7 February 2025, 22 ALI SA Fellows from various classes gathered in Cape Town for an afternoon of connection and conversation. This second gathering in three months showcased the strength of our fellowship and the importance of shared experiences. New friendships were formed, existing bonds deepened, and ideas exchanged over a glass of good wine in a relaxed setting. These informal meetups are...

Join us for the ALI SA Good Society Seminar, taking place from 23 to 25 May 2025 at the serene DeHoek Country Estate in Magaliesburg. This alumni fellows gathering invites you to reconnect with Fellows and explore the values that shape your personal and professional life. The seminar offers a chance to return to a safe seminar space to reflect on where you are in your journey. and engage in meani...

For 15 years, TEACH South Africa, an ALI SA Venture founded by Fellows Dr Mothomang Diaho and Dr Futhi Mtoba, has been transforming education by placing top graduates in under-resourced schools as Ambassadors. Through this initiative, ALI SA’s commitment to fostering leadership and driving social impact comes to life—ensuring that quality teaching reaches the learners who need it most. With o...

We are delighted to introduce the newest members of the ALI South Africa Fellowship! Our new cohort of Class XV Fellows represent a diverse cross-section of professional spheres, including business, the arts, government, media, and civil society. We extend our sincere appreciation to all who submitted nominations. Your insights have been invaluable in identifying African leaders committed to soci...

On 6 November 2024, the ALI SA Impact Leadership Dialogue Dinner marked a significant milestone in our journey towards shaping a brighter future for South Africa. As we gathered at the elegant Polo Lounge, Inanda Club in Sandton, the atmosphere buzzed with anticipation and a shared commitment to addressing the critical challenges facing our nation. Celebrating Leadership and Partnership The eveni...

“If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.” This African proverb encapsulates the spirit of the recent Good Society Seminar hosted by the African Leadership Institute (ALISA) at De Hoek Country Hotel, Magaliesburg in October 2024. As we reflect on this groundbreaking event, we are reminded of the immense power that lies within our fellowship of visionary le...

ALI SA is taking its Fellows to a new level after solidifying the organisation’s structures and funding for the next five years. With the world in its current state of turmoil, the need for ethical and values-based leadership is required to find solutions for a peaceful and prosperous society. The need for leaders has never before been so stark. In South Africa, many are waiting for their c...

After help from ALI SA’s Venture Workshop, HEAL SA creator Mpadi Makgalo is ready to redefine access to mental health support in South Africa, while Fixlocal’s Garth Japhet will help you fix your neighbourhood. HEAL SA founder Mpadi Makgalo (ALI Class XI), has always believed in her venture and knew it stood a great chance of succeeding. She is more sure of victory now that she’...

I met Keith Berwick in 2002 while attending the Henry Crown Fellowship Programme in Aspen. I was inspired by his moderation style—his openness, kindness, inclusivity, and no-nonsense approach. It was that experience that motivated me to explore the formation of the Africa Leadership Initiative. In partnership with Ken Ofori-Atta, the late Ali Mufuruki, Romeo Rodrigues, and with the unwavering ...

Meet ALI South Africa’s new Executive Director. We are excited to announce that Lynette Chen, Class IX Tariro Fellow, will take the reins as Executive Director of ALI South Africa. Her unwavering commitment to this country and continent, combined with her track record of actively and successfully driving social and economic transformation in private sector-led initiatives, makes her the ide...

  Our Board is the foundation of ALI SA’s growth and vitality. The Africa Leadership Initiative South Africa takes great pride in the talented members of our exceptional Board. Many Board members are ALI Fellows and have completed the ALI Leadership training programme in one of the thirteen classes presented during the past two decades.  Raymond Ndlovu – ALISA Chairman/ Executive C...

On 15 February 2024, the beautiful Villa Arcadia in Parktown, Johannesburg, played host to a welcoming celebration. With the announcement of Class XIV, 21 new Fellows joined the ALI fraternity. ALI South Africa recently turned 20 years old, and we are proud to have graduated 13 classes through this programme. Our network of about 300 fellows is now shaping the continent in a positive light. Class...

Anglo American aims for green with Bambili’s hydrogen fuel cell power Class XIII Akani Fellow Zanele Mavuso Mbatha’s Bambili Energy has embarked on a groundbreaking venture, partnering with Anglo American, independent power producer Engie and the South African government. Their shared vision involves conducting techno-economic analyses for hydrogen fuel cell-related projects, a novel ...

  Fellow Jabulani Sikhakhane voices his opinion on Godongwana’s mammoth task Finance Minister Enoch Gondongwana and his cabinet must take government finances more seriously. This is the opinion of Fellow Jabulani Sikhakhane (Class V Mayihlome) in an article that was published on budget speech day on businesslive.co.za, where he wrote: “These little Dutch boy approaches to running...

When ALI Fellow Reza Daniels (Class IX Tariro) took on the role of Director at the Southern Africa Labour and Development Research Unit (SALDRU) last month, he did not waste time to share his vision for the unit. Reza plans to lead with determination – as a Fellow should – and he published his thoughts in the opening article of SALDRU’s January newsletter: https://lnkd.in/dytya3tX Befor...

In the midst of global challenges and uncertainties, as we bid farewell to 2023, the need for a Good Society has never been greater. Internationally, things are bleak. Some 21 months after Russia invaded Ukraine, the war continues to rage with massive losses on both sides spilling over to dampen economic wellness across the globe. In Gaza there has been some relief around the hostage situation, b...

South African cities and towns are deteriorating at an alarming pace. Fixlocal is a national project in response to the lack of action and accountability shown by local authorities. The dismal state of affairs have wide-spread repercussions, as all citizens are subjected to declining socio-economic conditions.  There are countless examples of active citizens and business owners who serve their l...

The Sustainable Development Report (formerly known as the SDG Index and Dashboards) is a global assessments of countries’ progress towards achieving the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals.  According to a UN statement the “implementation of the 2030 Agenda requires the active mobilisation of political leadership and ambition for science-based transformations. This must be achieved gl...

Roger Dickinson dreamt of shifting education in Africa. He became the founder and CEO of the African Spelling Bee. This literacy programme is growing in strength and has a current footprint in 20 African countries. The spelling bees – a first of its kind for the continent – have been running since 2010.  Have your challenges changed over the last 13 years and what would you say were the bigg...

Khulekani Mathe‘s involvement as speaker at the #EndPovertyDay towards the end of October 2023, formed part of an interactive conversation with leading development practitioners, civil society, the private sector and academia on ways to advance the empowerment of people out of poverty through quality and sustainable jobs to ensure no one is left behind. “My speech focused on encouragi...

The S in ESG is as crucial inside organisations as outside them. Sometimes a question implies one answer, but receives the opposite. “The reward of labor is life,” the British designer and social activist William Morris once said. “Is that not enough?” Morris’ question was rhetorical. He presumed the answer was ‘yes’. And, when he asked it, in the 1800s, it might have been for most ...

“The workplace should not be regarded just for expending energy but rather for getting recharged, motivated and inspired.” – Dr. Mothomang Diaho. We can only awaken our authentic power, when we know how to look after ourselves, maintains Dr Diaho.  To awaken our authentic power we need to look at what is essential for waking up our inner well-being and to master ourselves. According to For...

ALISA – launched in 2003 – strengthens the community by linking Fellows with similar interests through digital platforms and community projects. ALI’s purpose has always been to convene, nurture and inspire a growing network of influential, civic-minded, values-based leaders who are committed to the Good Society.  Over the past 20 year our Fellows responded with exceptional commitment ...

NEO MUYANGA, Class III: Seriti “I was awed by the wealth of talent … in the new generation of leaders … and the commitment demonstrated by many of the Fellows in contributing towards building … a just society.”  I have an abiding fondness for all of my ALI classmates, despite the fact many of us haven’t actually spent much time exchanging ideas in person since the ...

There is an African proverb that goes: “If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go with others”.  The Africa Leadership Initiative (ALI) Fellowship programme has been a long and fulfilling journey for me.  I have met many a like-minded people along way whom I would not have had the good fortune to engage with. Key amongst those Fellow travellers are my co-founders: Peter Ra...

“Our purpose is not to reach chummy agreements, but to challenge our Fellows with well-constructed arguments against their world view, to examine the idea of compromise, and to test its limits; to unsettle and to stretch our Fellows. Good debates on race, gender politics and economics are rare– there are very few other places in South Africa, or indeed the world, where such communication ...

The Africa Leadership Initiative celebrates its 20th year of steering leaders in pursuit of the Good Society.  By September 2023, we will have graduated our 13th class – it amounts to a total of some 260 Fellows since ALI’s memorable first class meeting in April 2003. Today some of the Social Leadership Projects of our Fellows are helping:  to feed 9 million children a day disadvantage...

By Karl Gostner. On the opening night of the Forum, Pulitzer Prize winner Dele Olojede was in conversation with Donald Kaberuka, who amongst many roles has been Rwanda’s Minister of Finance and President of the African Development Bank. Mr Kaberuka outlined themes that I would hear echoed throughout our stay in Kigali. It is an amazing feature of Rwandan life: topics like good governance, effe...

Entries are now open for the 2023 FNF GreenPitch Challenge!  Innovators and entrepreneurs, this is your chance. Get ready to share your business idea and network with potential investors and important decision-makers.  CEO Mike Mulcahy (ALI Fellow Class XII: Isilimela) and his company GreenCape, in partnership with the Friedrich Naumann Foundation (FNF), invite innovators and entrepreneurs wi...

Janade du Plessis (ALI Fellow Class XIII: Mahube) is the co-managing partner of Africa Launch Ventures and Five35 Ventures. His ventures are implementing serious initiatives to see exponential tech growth in South Africa. His ventures are currently involved as: a Gitex investor at the first ever GITEX Conference in Africa, and partners in the WomHub Women in Tech (South Africa) to accelerate, sc...

Nomfundo Mogapi, ALI fellow from Class XII: Isilimela and CEO at the Centre for Mental Wellness and Leadership, shares the findings of the centre’s study on the mental health impact of COVID19 on education. Covid restrictions may have been lifted, but the psychological scars obtained in that period, are still impacting our learners. A decrease in social skills as a result of isolation durin...

The Opportunity for Africa up to 2063 Now is the time to identify, plan and build 1,2 or 3 Regenerative SMARTERu-Urban Cities in each of the 55 African Union Member States. By 2063, over 1.5 billion more Africans will be living in African cities, bringing the total population to over 3 billion of which 80% or 2.4 billion will be living in cities. 1.5 billion people yet to be born living in over 10...

We are overjoyed (and a bit speechless) to announce that ALL of our learners have passed Matric at Bulungula College! This is the first time in the history of Elliotdale to achieve a 100% pass rate. A big congratulations to our second-ever graduating class, who have proven that with focus, hard work and grit, anything is possible. To be the first school in our community to ever pass 100% of its l...

Anton Cartwright – Fellow from Class Akani and Director at Econologic & Credible Carbon comments on The Gaurdian article that suggested Verra’s avoided deforestation carbon (known as REDD+ in the carbon industry) to be “worthless”. The Guardian, who worked with Die Zeit’s and the privately-funded SourceMaterial, claims come amidst rising carbon market activity from the p...

Desnei Leaf-Camp, also a Class Akani fellow, is senior financial adviser at Xina Solar One. This solar power station has a 100 megawatt solar power capacity and they sell the solar energy they generate directly back to ESKOM. Xina Solar One’s efforts to support education in the four rural communities in its immediate vicinity, are truly commendable. The company published their first newslet...

By Fred Swaniker.  Ready for a sneak peek into the week we had? I always say that the African Leadership Group’s culture is our secret sauce, but experiencing it in person? One word: magical! Day 1 On Day 1 of our staff retreat in Kigali, we’ve managed to bring almost 200 members of our team to Rwanda to meet for the first time since 2020. We enjoyed taking the team to see a bit of our ...

By Dr Ntuthuko Bhengu This article highlights the complexities of healthcare service delivery. The UK National Health System is widely regarded as one of the most successful healthcare systems globally. It is also a huge source of pride and social cohesion for citizens. But an article in the Observer recently revealed the NHS trusts tell patients they can go private and jump hospital queues. Ob...

San Diego forms part of the boundary between Mexico and the USA. With its close proximity to another country, it is clear that diverse cultural realities have a deep impact on the true heartbeat of this city.  Our excursion to Chicano Park – known for its murals and seen as the emotional melting pot of Barrio Logan, San Diego’s oldest Mexican-American neighbourhood – revealed both the arti...

By Oscar van Heerden This past weekend, I attended the Kgalema Motlanthe Foundation (KMF) Inclusive Growth Forum in the Drakensberg, and boy, was it filled with excellent inputs from across the spectrum. The overall theme of the gathering, which meets every year, was “dialogue among equals”. The point of the dialogue is to see whether a cross-section of South Africans can not only iden...

In 30 years from now, around 2050, it is predicted that 50% of Sub-Saharan Africa’s population will be under the age of 25. According to Dr Mothomang Diaho, if we do not address individual well-being through an intergenerational lens, we would only continue to see further health declines. To take on the leadership roles of the future, Dr Diaho proposed that the cadre of future leaders would nee...

The events of the past two weeks in reaction to the capture, injury, and unjust murder of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old Iranian woman, at the hands of the Iranian Morality Police, has mesmerized the world. It has captured the imagination of women and men alike, and set ablaze the Iranian people’s enthusiasm and quest for freedom, supported by their diaspora and people of goodwill throughout the wor...

On 22 September Eberechukwu Etike published an article on Technext announcing the appointment of ALI Fellow Leslie Maasdorp and Nigerian Ibukun Awosika on Binance’s Global Advisory Board (GAB). The primary goal of the board is to advise Binance on some of the most complex regulatory, political and social issues confronting the entire crypto industry, as it rapidly grows and evolves. The new ...

A decade ago 11 October has been marked as the International Day of the Girl and worldwide this day is observed to try and empower girls and rectify their status as equal to boys. In many countries girls’ rights are unrecognised or under threat. The purpose of the CFA Society South Africa’s specific shadow initiative is to create awareness of the investment industry among girl learner...

The AGRF (Africa’s Food Systems Forum) brings together private, public, development and non-profit partners, as well as the academic and research sectors in the agricultural landscape to take practical action that will move African agriculture forward. The AGRF seeks explicitly to unleash the full potential of Africa’s millions of smallholder farmers and their families. On 6 September Nozi...