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Uninsured, expectant mothers can now gain affordable maternity care. Riedwaan Jabaar (Class X: XSeed) is the Co-founder and COO of PPO Serve (Professional Provider Organisation Services). He is also the former Executive Committee Member and Head of Health Intelligence at Discovery Health. PPO Serve is an integrated healthcare management company, with a vision of transforming the commercial health...

ANALYSIS Three women who are ANC royalty are now officially in the race for the party’s presidency in December. We analyse the contest and assess the campaigns of all three. Baleka Mbete At the weekend, the party’s chairperson and Speaker of the National Assembly Baleka Mbete threw her hat into the ring for the second time. It was reported in January that she was running to become part...

Dear ALI Fellows, As previously communicated we were required to delay the recruitment of the 11th class. We have now decided to go ahead with the recruitment of the 11th class to be launched in March 2018. Many of you previously nominated candidates and we will look at all previous nominees. We are also reopening the nomination process for the 11th Class of the Africa Leadership Initiative. Th...

Dear ALI Fellows, The leadership of the South African, East African, West African and Mozambican chapters of ALI have committed to hosting a joint Africa wide Fellowship event to be called The ALI Africa Impact Forum. The event will be modelled on the Aspen Action Forum and allow the African Fellows to engage on issues of relevance for the continent. A steering committee has been appointed with...

Against the backdrop of State Capture and South Africa’s credit rating downgrade, the Africa Leadership Initiative held its 3rd ALI Leadership Dialogue of 2017 on Wednesday, 24 May 2017 (under Chatham House Rules) to discuss the issues that continue to dominate public debates on the future of democratic governance. Speaking at this dialogue was the former Deputy Minister of Finance, Mcebisi Jon...

Chinezi Chijioke (Class X: XSeed) Co-Founder and the CEO of Nova Pioneer Education Group, a network of accessible 21st century private schools across Africa, announces that all their schools are now operating under one holistic brand. Pioneer Academies (South Africa) and Nova Academies (Kenya) are now officially Nova Pioneer: Schools for Innovators & Leaders. The Nova Pioneer vision is to tra...

The Africa Leadership Initiative takes this opportunity to congratulate Fred Swaniker (Class III, Seriti), the founder and CEO of Africa Leadership Academy, which is a pan-African secondary school. A few weeks back, Fred Swaniker was bestowed with an honorary doctorate from the Middlebury College in Vermont, USA. A similar honor from the Nelson Mandela University in South Africa was also awarded ...

Increasing decoupling of economic growth and labour absorption is creating insecurity and widening inequality We are in a period of human and planetary transition. The techno-capitalist-driven decoupling of economic growth and labour absorption is accelerating, creating insecurity, widening inequality and despair. The planet’s ecological system, which supports all life, is racing faster towards...

Dear Fellows, I am writing to inform you that, after three years as Programme Manager for ALI South Africa, Sedibeng Ngubane has decided to leave ALI in order to apply all of her focus and energy on a new business venture. Sedi will be leaving at the end of May, but will still take responsibility for completing the final seminar of Class X (XSeed).  Sedi will also be joining us for the African ...

Dear ALI Fellows, We have been engaging with the leadership from the other African Leadership Initiative Chapters on the need for a Pan-African Fellows event. We are excited to announce that we will be working collectively with ALI West Africa, ALI East Africa, and ALI Mozambique. Our collective mission is to hold the Inaugural ALI Pan-African Impact Forum at Spier. The event will now take place...

JM Busha 54 Races is a non-profit initiative founded by Joseph Makamba Busha (Class IX: Tariro), who is also the founder of JM Busha Investment Group. The organisation’s vision is to realize a peaceful, prosperous and united people of Africa and the world. The organisation’s mission is three fold: To promote peace and unity through education, arts, culture, music and sports To engage and enr...

ANALYSIS: Is Finance Minister Malusi Gigaba South Africa’s answer to the 39-year-old Emmanuel Macron, the French politician who has swept like a whirlwind through his country? With a shiny pate and answers only slightly more carefully cut than his suit, the audience cracked up at the question posed to the 45-year old South African finance minister by World Economic Forum (WEF) executive Adr...

Dear ALI Fellows, In the context of the series of the ALI dialogues, actions being undertaken by various ALI Fellows, the current South African Context, and my previous communication about the boards’ commitment to institutionally strengthen ALI, we will be holding a series of dinners during May and June. We are aware that many of you have been frustrated by the stop-and-start process aroun...

A Better Africa is an online education platform initiated by social entrepreneur and ALI Fellow, Roger Dickinson (Class II: Kilimanjaro). The digital platform enables users and organisations to collaborate, share ideas, and make an impact in the education sector. The smart digital platform houses a five-fold community. The first community consists of educational institutions including ECD Centers...

Announcement by the Minister of Arts and Culture on the appointment of The Council of The National Film And Video Foundation. The Minister of Arts and Culture, Mr Nathi Mthethwa hereby announces the names of the persons appointed as the Council of the NFVF including Zanele Mthembu (Class IX: Tariro Fellow), effective from 01 May 2017 to 30 April 2020. Section 6 (1) of the NFVF Act, Act No.73 of 1...

The second ALI Leadership Dialogue was held on 26 April and hosted at the Barloworld Logistics head office in Sandton, Gauteng. ANC Senior Member of Parliament and Class VI: Tshelela fellow Dr Makhosi Khoza led a powerful dialogue focusing on the nature and consequences of the politics of patronage at work in South Africa today. View Photo Gallery ⟶ The dialogue was the largest that ALI has ev...

The CEO of the iSimangaliso Wetland Park Authority, the environmentalist Andrew Zaloumis (Class VI: Tshelela Fellow), has been awarded the prestigious 2017 KfW-Bernhard-Grzimek-Preis for his outstanding commitment and visionary management of the iSimangaliso Wetland Park World Heritage site in South Africa. The award is presented every two years to honour individuals and organizations for their ...

Dear Fellows, These are dark days indeed. We face a social, political and economic crisis that has been unimaginable since the birth of our democracy. We are witnessing the disintegration of our governing party and the highly organized, systematic and well-resourced capture of our nation by a mafia-style criminal group. If we cannot arrest and reverse this, we will become a failed state. Moreover...

Leadership Injudiciousness: deleterious to ANC relevance and lifespan This is what is on my mind this Sunday, 9 April 2017… The technological advancement has delivered a virtual society to me. Today when my political home ignores my voice I have friends in Facebook, twitter etc. who share my frustrations, perspectives and vision for South Africa & my beloved African continent. When soci...

This month we highlight Beyond The River, a movie brought to the big screen by Quizzical Pictures and Heartlines — an NGO established by one of our Fellows, Garth Japhet (Class X, XSeed). Heartlines uses a values-based lens through film and print stories, to tackle society’s biggest issues. The upcoming movie is inspired by a true story of Piers Cruickshanks and Siseko Ntondini, who...

But there are some silver linings: Here are the ministers who may actually do a good job. President Jacob Zuma has moved one of his strongest loyalists Mmamoloko ‘Nkhensani’ Kubayi into the energy portfolio signaling a push on the nuclear deal. Kubayi fought hard for Zuma in parliament during the crisis on the spending at his Nkandla home. Former Minister of Energy Tina Joemat-Petters...

In memory of Ahmed Kathrada (1929 – 2017) There is no doubt that the new South Africa was built on the blood and sacrifices of great leaders both sung and unsung heroes. These are leaders who dedicated their lives to fighting for the emancipation of all South Africans who were marginalised and oppressed by the Apartheid government. One of the many national heroes of our time that helped lay th...

Research conducted by the University of Johannesburg indicates that up to 40% of their students struggle to fund their transportation, food and accommodation requirements. Furthermore, universities across the country have seen a steady decline in the amount of NSFAS funding available per student, with the result that students have to find alternative sources of funding for their subsistence needs...

To Serve until Successor Named Later in the Year Washington, DC — Aspen Institute Chairman of the Board James S. Crown today sent a memo to board members and staff saying that Walter Isaacson had informed him of his plan to step down as CEO and President at the end of the year. Isaacson will be joining the history department of Tulane University as University Professor effective January 2018, ...

It is with much disappointment that I have to announce the resignation of Kofi Amegashie as ALI SA’s Executive Director due to his relocation to the UK with his family. ALI SA has seen the introduction of a robust and active social media, a rejuvenated website, as well as an introduction of our monthly dialogues. All of this, is attributed to Kofi’s vision and contribution which has spa...

On the eve of International Women’s Day on 7 March, the Mentorship Circle was launched at The Campus in Bryanston. The Mentorship Circle is a collaborative mentorship program developed by Charmaine Houvet (Cisco), Sharmla Chetty (Duke CE, ALI Fellow), Lesego Sennelo (AWCA, ALI Fellow), Sindi Mabaso-Koyana (AWCA, ALI Fellow) and Grathel Motau (AWCA, ALI Fellow). The programme aims to equip, ins...

Every child deserves the right to a happy, healthy and safe childhood; help COPESSA prevent child abuse before it happens. About COPESSA COPESSA is an award winning nonprofit organisation, founded by Dr Nobs Mwanda (Class 4, Khalipa). COPESSA focuses its efforts on preventing child abuse before it happens; this is referred to as primary prevention. In cases where prevention is not successful w...

Fifteen years ago, Charles Luyckx (from Class IV: Kalipha) and Gary Campbell (from Class III: Seriti), identified a missing link in the South African education system. That link was nutrition. FUEL is an acronym that stands for Feed. Educate. Uplift. Love. FUEL is a fully funded non-profit initiative that collaborates with the South African government to feed our school children and transform the...

ALI Fellows Lesego Sennelo, Sharmla Chetty, Sindi Mabaso Koyana and Grathel Motau together with Cisco Executive Charmaine Houvet, cordially invite you to the launch of The Mentorship Circle. The Mentorship Circle is a collaborative mentorship programme between AWCA, Cisco, and Duke CE. The programme will be launched on the 7th of March 2017. The programme aims to expand the scope and circle o...

Tshikululu Social Investments is looking for a dynamic individual to play a strategic leadership role with one of our newest clients, who is focused on bringing about large-scale, system-wide change. The systemic social investment specialist’s primary responsibilities will be two-fold: firstly to represent the client as a strategic partner on a number of ‘big bet’ social investments; and s...

The Resnick Aspen Action Forum is one the Aspen Institute’s greatest platforms for effecting real and measurable change in the world. It is an annual four day event held in Aspen, Colorado that encourages entrepreneurial leaders from around the world to put their ideas for impact into action. The ALI SA office encourages all ALI fellows to attend at least one of these seminars at some point...

Chairperson of NSFAS and former CEO of FirstRand Bank, Sizwe Nxasana discussed how we can transform higher education and create a conducive environment, both socially and financially, for learners to thrive. The dialogue kicked off with Nxasana describing South Africa’s current higher education landscape. He mentioned that we currently have 850 000 students enrolled in higher education institu...

SA does need radical economic transformation. Growth is snail-paced and inequality is increasing. The fog of political patronage is debilitating investment and future generations are ill-equipped to thrive in a changing economic landscape. Old ideas are tearing us apart rather than binding us together. SA and the world need a utopian unifying vision, radical ideas transformed into good policy and...

First and foremost, I wish you happiness, peace and prosperity.  Secondly, as you take a step back to review your past 12 months, and make plans for the next 12 months, I hope you will consider adding the Aspen Action Forum to your calendar, taking place from 27-31 July 2017. The world is perhaps on the verge of greater turmoil, more so than at any time in the past 50 years. If...

First and foremost, on behalf of the Africa Leadership Initiative: Compliments on the New Year! May it be a year in which we live up to our fervent desire to positively and meaningfully impact our society. As always, each year dawns upon us with a brand-new energy and fresh resolutions waiting to be accomplished. This year is no different. We, as the Africa Leadership Initiative, look forward to ...

Old rules just have to go when technology starts a different game Humans are losing their jobs to machines, so creativity and forethought are needed to prepare for our new roles, writes Joshin Raghubar (Class 3 Fellow – Khalipa and a member of the ALI SA board.) Stakeholders in a state — government, business, civil society — should have one goal: to grow and sustain a resilient, generative ...

On Thursday, 8 December, Ferial Haffajee received an honorary Doctorate from the University of Free State for her outstanding work in Journalism throughout her 25 years in the field. This was a significant and sentimental moment for Haffajee, as she was not able to attend her graduation ceremony for her Journalism degree from The University of the Witwatersrand in 1989. “Black students had boyc...

The TEACH South Africa (TEACH) 2015 Cohort graduation ceremony was held on Saturday, 10 November 2016 at the Deloitte auditorium in Johannesburg. The ceremony was hosted by former graduates and ambassadors Berkia Banda and Camagwini Dolweni. Banda and Dolweni shared their own experiences of being TEACH graduates and the opportunities that this forwarded to them. They also encouraged graduates in ...

Adrian Enthoven As we approach the holiday season, it is fitting to take a moment to thank everyone who has been part of the Africa Leadership Initiative. My deepest gratitude goes out to all the Fellows for their continual participation and support. I also extend my thanks to the Aspen Global Leadership Network, as well as our directors, our African and global partners, and our board members, for...

The third and final ALI Leadership Initiative Dialogue for 2016 was held on Wednesday, 16 November at the lavish Villa Arcadia in Parktown. Former General Secretary of the Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU), and Vice-Chairperson of the Millennium Labour Council, Zwelinzima Vavi shared his views on the role of leaders and their contribution to a new South Africa, as well as key lesson...

The Aspen Institute’s Finance Leaders Fellowship seeks to develop the next generation of responsible, community-spirited leaders in the global finance industry. This new, two-year program is modeled on the Henry Crown Fellowship which was established in 1996. Using the Aspen Institute method of text-based dialogue, and building upon the Institute’s commitment to values-based, action-...

We take this moment to congratulate Thina Siwendu. After a grueling selection process by the JSC commission panel in Cape Town, Thina Siwendu; Class III – Seriti and ALI SA board member, has recently been appointed as Judge of the High Court: Gauteng local division. This announcement comes as a great honour for Thina who has over two decades of experience in law. She holds a B.Soc.Sci from the U...

Linda Vilakazi, Class VIII: Mahube and CEO of the Oliver & Adelaide Tambo Foundation cordially invites you to the 2016 Oliver Tambo Memorial Lecture, to be delivered by Constitutional Court Chief Justice, Mogoeng Mogoeng. The lecture is to be held on 27th October 2016 at Turbine Hall in Newtown, Johannesburg. Topic: Oliver Tambo’s values –  Meaning, relevance and implication for Sout...

TEACH South Africa has been developing educators and tools to improve maths, science and English education in South Africa. The organization recruits university graduates in these subjects, and places them in rural and disadvantaged schools for two years, where they train to become educators. Since the year 2009, TEACH South Africa has placed graduates in 186 schools across the country. TEACH Sou...

iSimangaliso Wetland Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is one of the top eight biodiversity hotspots in the world. Yet, amidst such natural plenty, it is also one of South Africa’s poorest regions, with over 80 percent of the surrounding people living in dire poverty, and only 15 percent formally employed. Meet Andrew Zaloumis, a lifelong conservationist and anti-apartheid activist, who f...

Bulungula Incubator: The best way to transform a rural community is through the community itself. Tackling rural poverty effectively, is a challenge as Education and Healthcare remain the keys to meaningful transformation. Through the Africa Leadership Initiative (ALI), our Fellows have been able to create and provide impactful projects that are making a difference in South Africa. Our Fellows a...

Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan chats to political analyst and Class II: Kilimanjaro Fellow Justice Malala at the annual Cape Town Open Book Festival. ...

Kwanele Enuf is a zero tolerance campaign by ALI Fellow Andy Kawa, that aims to break the chains of silence surrounding rape and sexual violence. Rape, sexual violence and gender based violence affects us all, no matter our gender, race or religion. With this video we aim to bring together the voices of all South Africans, standing together to say “Enuf is Enuf” Read more about Andy Kawa ⟶ ...

Enzo Scarcella. Photo © Africa Leadership Initiative.   Telecommunications industry veteran Enzo Scarcella is leaving his role as chief marketing officer at Telkom after spending three years at the company. MTN Group, Africa’s biggest wireless operator by sales, appointed ALI Fellow (Class VIII Mahube) and Board Member Enzo Scarcella as chief operating officer of its South Africa unit, r...

It is with great pleasure – that  we announce the opening of the nominations process for the 11th class of the Africa Leadership Initiative, to be launched in May, 2017. Please download the nomination form, and use it to nominate your preferred candidates. As you already know, the quality of the ALI fellowship is dependent on the calibre of Fellows we bring on board, it is therefore important ...