Africa’s leading and emerging agriculture leaders from across the continent have come together to mark and celebrate graduation for the second cohort of the Centre for African Leaders in Agriculture (CALA)’s Advanced Leadership Programme.
The centre which is an AGRA-led initiative, co-implemented by African Management Institute (AMI) and Policy Link has seen 76 delegates, drawn from the public, private sector and civil society undergo a 16-month collaborative, hands-on, and tailored experience for senior and rising leaders in Africa’s agriculture sector.
As a result, they will be awarded with certificates, marking their status as leaders in Africa’s Food Security and Sustainability after completing the programme.
The programme, designed for leaders spearheading and directly implementing country-level agriculture initiatives, has equipped the delegates with the practical leadership skills for effective implementation of national flagship programmes while enhancing cross collaborative leadership across the public, private sector and civil society.
“A mark of a good leader is collaboration: Understanding that together we can go far. We need to embrace and adopt holistic approaches to our challenges by developing integrated policies that address multiple facets of Africa’s food system; we learn and build each other for the betterment of our continent.” Dr. Agnes Kalibata, AGRA President.
Selected from over 1,000 applicants, the 76 individuals represent the continent’s most dynamic leaders in agriculture, with 45% of the leaders drawn from government agencies across the 8 countries, 26% from the private sector and 29% from civil society.
“As leaders in your respective organisations and fields, you have the opportunity to play a pivotal role in aligning your country’s national priorities to the regional priorities in order to ensure that the transformation of food systems is grounded in the realities of local communities.” Prof. Jean Jacques Muhinda, Regional Head for East and Southern Africa, AGRA.
The graduating delegates now join the inaugural cohort of 80 delegates in the prestigious CALA alumni community, continuing their learning and collaboration.
CALA initiative is delivered by is an AGRA in collaboration with implementing partners including the African Management Institute (AMI), CALA’s lead implementation and learning partner, and USAID’s Policy LINK. Policy LINK has led the design and rollout of the leadership programme’s coaching component.
