Page 64 - Start Up_Genesis

BUILDING THE

LEADERS WE

WANT

Julius Luwaya- Zambia

frica, like all other major issues-climate change, provided immense leadership
regions of the world, poverty, health, education, in raising families and
Ais in a time of massive unemployment, development communities in a manner that
institutional and systems economics—represent the same is less acknowledged. In most
failure. Globally, we collectively type of leadership challenge: African countries, women
create results that nobody Connecting the change-makers did not only take care of
wants- hunger, climate change, and frontline leaders across homes and raise families, but
AIDS, financial and economic institutional boundaries in order were also key and significant
challenges, collapsing learning to catalyze shared inspiration front-line participants in the
institutions. Wherever we turn, and collective action. liberation struggle of their
we confront the same underlying University or tertiary education, nations. While most societies
issues: Our current political, which is also in need of re- ascribe the burden of ‘home
economic, and educational invention, is one ‘place’ where making’ and ‘raising of families’
institutions are broken. dialogue and experimentation as jobs best suited for women,
What is equally true is that for collective action should be they are equally capable of
Africa, and Zambia in particular, taking place in a meaningful way. vision, policy development
is in a time of enormous The need to re-invent university and implementation for their
transformative possibilities. or higher education, which is societies and organisations. The
There is tremendous economic often a poor shadow of the dying failure to tap the leadership
growth, the potential that comes model of western education, potential of women on the
with technology, opportunities is long overdue. Education African continent has resulted
for democratisation and a institutions keep on producing in the underutilization of this
growing youthful population. graduates that are unable to great resource, thereby slowing
However, the continent at deal with organisational and down the pace of development
present does not know how to societal challenges. Research, that the continent could
mobilize the collective action in the few instances where it is otherwise have.
that it takes to move systems carried out, is focused on issues The quality of leadership
(society, organisations and self) that are irrelevant to the needs the continent has seen and
from where they are today to of society; using methods for experienced in the running and
where they ought to be. This data collection and processing management of governments,
is the collective leadership that are insufficient. businesses and civil society
challenge of our time. All the Women in Africa have organizations is indicative of the
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