Maxwell Hall, Public Engagement, Tel.: +41 (0)79 329 35 00; Email: maxwell.hall@weforum.org
· Inadequate succession planning and mentorship is creating a leadership vacuum across Africa
· New generations of leaders must be responsive, empathetic and agile
· The most urgent priorities for Africa’s leaders are to create jobs, provide education and build skills
· Follow the 2017 World Economic Forum on Africa at http://wef.ch/af17
Durban, South Africa, 3 May 2017 –
Africa’s leaders are not sufficiently addressing the continent’s multiple challenges, leaving a leadership vacuum that is proving difficult to fill, said a panel on Leadership in an Era of Disruption on the first day of the 2017 World Economic Forum on Africa in Durban, South Africa.
The continent’s new generation of leaders must be empathetic, agile and able to respond to the significant challenges experienced by Africans today, panellists agreed.
Four out of five of the most unequal countries in the world are in Africa, said Winnie Byanyima, Executive Director of Oxfam International, United Kingdom, and a Co-Chair of the World Economic Forum on Africa. Ordinary people are trapped in poverty; the growth rates of the past have been about a few people making profits, and this means people around the continent have legitimate reasons to protest against their lot. The response of many governments has been to silence them rather than address their concerns, she said.
Lindiwe Mazibuko, Leader of the Opposition, Parliament of South Africa (2011-2014), spoke of the urgency of the need to empower new generations of leaders: “How much time are we going to spend talking about what we as existing, current, former leaders are going to do to build a new generation, a new cohort, that’s more empathetic, more responsible, more nimble and more able to deal with the challenges today?”
Tony Elumelu, Chairman of UBA Group, Nigeria, highlighted the need for employment creation, saying the lack of jobs is quickly becoming a disincentive to education. It is not only up to big business to create jobs, he added. Encouraging entrepreneurs is critical because their efforts have a significant multiplier effect.
Rich Lesser, Global Chief Executive Officer and President of The Boston Consulting Group, USA, and a Co-Chair of the World Economic Forum on Africa, added his voice to a discussion of the importance of improving education in Africa. “The ticking clock on education is relentless,” he said. Millions of people across Africa do not have access to even basic education. The longer this situation continues, the more Africa’s future will be compromised, he added.
The panel agreed that Africa is not being “future proofed”, with the quality of education failing to address the needs of a rapidly changing world.
Anant Singh, Producer, Videovision Entertainment, South Africa, paid tribute to the late Ahmed Kathrada, a veteran of the South African liberation struggle who, he said, exemplified the kind of committed and caring leader Africa needs.
The 2017 World Economic Forum on Africa takes place on 3-5 May in Durban, South Africa, under the theme Achieving Inclusive Growth through Responsive and Responsible Leadership. The meeting convenes regional and global leaders from business, government and civil society to explore solutions to create economic opportunities for all. It will also provide insight from leading experts on how Africa will be affected by the onset of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, particularly in terms of safeguarding the region’s economies from negative disruption and exploiting opportunities for further growth and development.
Notes to Editors
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