The Challenge of Leadership
A 5-day seminar in which the Fellows are exposed to a range of leadership styles.
The ALIWA Fellowship Programme
and enlightened leaders for the future of Africa.
and enlightened leaders for the future of Africa.
and enlightened leaders for the future of Africa.
The Aspen Fellowship Programme
The Aspen Global Leadership Network is a worldwide community of more than 3,000 high-integrity, entrepreneurial leaders from business, government and the nonprofit sector in more than 50 countries. Because of their demonstrated accomplishments and abilities, they have been selected to be part of one of 14 geographic or sector-specific Fellowships around the world. Read More
The ALIWA Fellowship Programme through a unique mixture of seminars, equips leaders to confront and step up to addressing the peculiar challenges that Africa faces as a continent in their personal journey from “success to significance”. Pulling together diverse leaders from various sectors within the West Africa region through a very stringent selection and interview process, the seminars are designed to broaden the perspectives of the participants, and through the fellowship experience, turn out value-based, community-spirited leaders who can move their continent towards achieving a more progressive, equitable and just society.
For each class, ALIWA selects 20-22 individuals who have achieved success and influence in their careers or endeavours in the private or public sector, and typically who are between the ages of 35 – 50.
Together, for a period of 24 months, they go through a moderated, text rich programme of seminars in a safe environment and in meaningful dialogue with their peers. The seminars direct the participants to consider the “big questions” examining two intertwined primary arcs. The first arc deals with the development of governance of human society and its institutions over the last 2000 year, the aim of which is to ensure that participants understand how we have come to be and therefore what futures we can help shape. The second arc propels Fellows to examine their personal development over time, with a view to getting a better appreciation of their values and motivations, and how these influence their responsibility to act.
Over the period of the training, these two arcs create individuals who are empowered to think and act in ways that elevate the importance of the common good.The programme is designed to capture the energy, resolve and talent of an emerging generation of African leaders, and to spur them ‘from thought to action’ by encouraging and requiring the fellows to implement sustainable individual community projects of their own.
The Four Seminars
The Fellowship seminars help our leaders reflect on timeless ideas and define their own personal values. Through text-based dialogue with expert moderators and accomplished peers, seminar participants enhance their capacities to think more creatively in solving the problems that confront society.
The Challenge of
Leadership
This 5-day seminar asks Fellows to think about their own role and responsibility as leaders as they are exposed to a range of leaders offering different leadership styles and models. They spend time discussing the challenging situations inherent in any aspect of leadership – when push comes to shove, what decisions do you make and how do these decisions affect your ability to lead others?
The Aspen
Seminar
This is the Aspen Institute’s flagship seminar. During this 6-day seminar Fellows build their own vision of the “good society” by reading, discussing, debating and relating the writings of a wide range of thinkers to their present-day conditions. The Fellows discuss their personal thoughts on the proper role of government, on what sorts of trade-offs they are willing to accept in the name of economic growth, and on other tensions that exist in society. Fellows also recognize where their personal values may align with their own society, and where they might work to help their society align better.
Leading in an Era of Globalization
In this 5-day seminar, Fellows explore a wide range of ways globalization is influencing their world – economic, political, scientific, cultural and ethical – and the tensions that arise as a result. Having answered what they think the “good society” is in the previous seminar, Fellows are now asked to broaden those views to include the rest of the world. Fellows also look at what globalization means for their leadership and where there might be opportunities to harness the forces of globalization for good and where they might draw the line its influences.
The Promise of
Leadership
This is the final seminar in the series of four and is the most introspective. In this 5-day seminar, Fellows share the results and lessons learned from their leadership ventures and explore issues of balancing work and family, community engagement and personal legacy. They are poised from here to engage in the next phase of their leadership and have begun their journey from success to significance. ALIWA has launched the following five classes - Inaugural Class, Totum Bonum, Sankofa, Muje Ghangeria, Karfi Kuo, and is currently looking forward to launching Class VI of the Fellowship programme in 2021.
Program Structure
Individuals between the ages of 35 and 50, who are successful in their fields of influence are usually nominated to join the Fellowship Program. They come largely from the business sector, and also from government, and from civil society organizations. These Fellows are committed to promoting – and personally exemplifying — effective, values-based leadership in their countries.
Each class has between 20 – 22 Fellows who are chosen from a pool of candidates. The two-year program is comprised of:
- A structured series of four seminars—16 days in total—under the guidance of skilled senior moderators along with
- A required community project of each Fellow’s own design and choosing
- Occasional alumni opportunities to participate in gatherings with fellow Fellows and other leaders.
From Thought to Action
During the seminars, each Fellow identifies and begins a personal leadership project reflecting his/her passions with support from Fellows and Mentors who share those interests. These projects mark the beginning of each Fellow’s commitment to action and their impact on their communities and the West Africa region in general. This action and impact are the defining characteristics of an ALIWA Fellow. Learn More
ALIWA has launched the following five classes – Inaugural Class, Totum Bonum, Sankofa, Muje Ghangeria and Karfi Kuo, and is currently looking forward to launching Class VI of the Fellowship program.
Nomination Procedures
A call for nomination of Fellows for a new class is made via an announcement to Fellows, requesting that suitable candidates be nominated for the next Fellowship class. The Fellows are selected by a Nominations & Selections Committee who applies a crafted criterion for a balanced class of differing viewpoints, a class that will stimulate constructive debates. Candidates must be between the ages of 35 and 50 and should be established and proven leaders in their current endeavors. They must be willing to leverage on their success to have a significant impact in Africa.
Fellows can also be nominated to enroll into the ALIWA Fellowship Program by recognized leaders of business and community organizations, or by Fellows in the ALIWA Alumni Network. Nominators are asked to provide a CV and also complete a nomination form stating reasons for recommending the candidate, with a special focus on:
- The candidate’s leadership and entrepreneurial experience
- His/her potential influence or impact on the African continent, and
- Why they think this is the right time in the nominee’s life and career to participate in the program.
The Aspen Institute is an educational & policy studies organization whose mission is:
To foster values-based leadership, encouraging individuals to reflect on the ideals and ideas that define a good society, and
To provide a neutral and balanced venue for discussing and acting on critical issues.
These are achieved through Seminars, Young-Leader Fellowships around the world, Policy Programs, as well as Public Conferences/Events.
ALIWA Fellows are nominated from diverse backgrounds and experiences in government, business and civil society, and are taken through thoughtfully curated and moderated four one-week dialogue seminars over a two-year period. Fellows are required to launch a venture that will challenge them and also positively impact their communities and society at large.
The Seminars
The Aspen Seminar
A 6-day seminar in which the Fellows build their vision of “a good society".
Leading in an Era of Globalization
A 5-day seminar in which the Fellows explore the economic, political, scientific, cultural...
The Promise of Leadership
A 5-day seminar in which the Fellows share the results and lessons learned from their Leadership Projects and explore...
The Seminars
-
1. The Challenge of Leadership
A 5-day seminar in which the Fellows are exposed to a range of leadership styles. -
2. The Aspen Seminar
A 6-day seminar in which the Fellows build their vision of “a good society”. -
3. Leading in an Era of Globalization
A 5-day seminar in which the Fellows explore the economic, political, scientific, cultural and ethical dimensions of globalization. -
4. The Promise of Leadership
A 5-day seminar in which the Fellows share the results and lessons learned from their Leadership Projects and explore issues of balancing work and family, community engagement and personal legacy
Thoughts from the Fellowship Experience
“I was challenged to examine the impact of my world view on the choices I have made in my life including what I do and what I aspire to do for the rest of my life”.
Soji Apampa
Sankofa Class
“I left with a renewed sense of deliberate purpose and confidence in my ability and potential to collaborate with a network of mutually empowering leaders to significantly impact our society, whether in Africa, or other parts of the world”.
Bashir Mundi
Sankofa Class
“The program provided a model of other individuals who have successfully effected societal change in difficult circumstances and provided mental preparation for the courage needed to act and withstand the resistance to change that will occur”.
Habiba Balogun
Muje Ghanjeria Class