Kagame tips on servant leadership

President Paul Kagame has called on African leaders to promote servant leadership which respects citizens’ interests and dignity.

The Head of State made the remarks on Sunday shortly after meeting a team of Fellows from African Leadership Initiative (ALI) at Village Urugwiro. The Fellows include highly successful entrepreneurial individuals from across Africa.

After meeting ALI Fellows, Kagame tweeted “The #AliFellows were a joy to have discussion with. A good breed of upcoming leaders..already are, in their own right. Good for Africa.”

Kagame  added that it was long-over-due for Africa to get it right without more excuses even if challenges persist.

The President emphasised that Africa should focus on servant leadership, working with and respecting citizens. 

“Even for those who still need support, dignity is a must and should be demanded and respected! It starts with ourselves working together...the rest will be easier, and will follow,” the President said on Twitter.

The Fellows are high profile individuals from business, government and civil society said to be committed to promoting and personally exemplifying effective and values-based leadership in their respective countries.

They are chosen from among those considered as emerging leaders who have already attained certain levels of achievement in the areas of leadership in private and public sectors.

 “We met the President for further guidance and inspiration on the challenges and promise of leadership. Rwanda is model much admired by the region and internationally,” said Awel Uwihanganye, one of the Fellows.

President Kagame’s leadership, he observed, has been the driving force in the recovery of Rwanda following the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi.

Last graduating class 

The delegation of ALI fellows was led by Ali Mufuruki, the chairman and founder of the African Leadership Initiative East Africa. 

ALI fellows are associated with Aspen Institute of Humanistic Studies, 

the US based non-profit organisation dedicated to “fostering enlightened leadership.

According to Uwihanganye, the co-founder and chief executive officer leO Africa, they were in Rwanda for a reunion of the last graduating class of the fellows of the ALI East Africa.

The Fellows are selected through a process managed by local partners in each region or country with the goal of assembling classes that are diverse in viewpoint, political affiliation, industry, ethnicity and gender.

They attend about five seminars over a period of 18-24 months covering a range of leadership issues and challenges. The seminars are designed to encourage Fellows to move from ideas to action on the biggest challenges their communities and countries face.

They also commit to carrying out a high-impact leadership project of their own choosing – vetted and approved by their peers.

Currently seven countries run  the ALI  programmes.  They include  Ghana, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Mozambique, Nigeria and South Africa.