TheCable

Twenty-three candidates across Africa have made the list of successful applicants for the 2019 edition of Tutu Leadership Fellowship.

In a statement issued on Monday, the African Leadership Institute (AFLI) said the 23 persons were picked out of over 250 nominees from over 30 African countries.

Samson Itodo, executive director of the Youth Initiative for Advocacy, Growth & Advancement (YIAGA), a non-profit organisation promoting democratic governance and youth participation, is one of the five Nigerians on the fellowship list.

Others are Akintunde Oyebode, the special adviser, investment, trade and innovation to the government of  Ekiti state; Debisi Araba, an environmental policy and strategy specialist, who is also the regional director for Africa at the CGIAR’s international center for tropical agriculture (CIAT) and Nneka Eze, a co-leader of Dalberg advisors’ global agriculture and food security practice area.

Uzoma Nwagba, the chief operating officer of Nigeria’s Government Enterprise and Empowerment Programme (GEEP), who is also co-founder of leadership seed, was also listed among the 23 Africans selected for the Tutu fellowship.

Commenting on the selection process, Jackie Chimhanzi, CEO of AFLI, said it was particularly difficult to arrive at the final selection given the high calibre of applicants.

“Spanning various industries, representing 12 African countries and ranging in age from 25 to 39 years, the selected candidates demonstrate the wealth and breadth of leadership talent that exists in Africa,” he said.

On his part, Peter Wilson, co-founder of AFLI, said: “We believe that serving one’s followers with selfless inspirational leadership based on strong values is the critical ingredient that is going to catapult Africa forward socially, politically and economically.

“The Tutu Leadership Fellowship was created in order to maximise the impact that leadership can have, whether at a country level, across the continent or even globally.”

The candidates are Mical Agina, Debisi Araba, Marcia Ashong, Edwine Barasa, Mohammed Barry, Issam Chleuh, Akim Daouda, Sangu Delle, JD Nneka Eze, Angela Gichaga, Ronak Gopaldas, Lesego Holzapfel.

Others are Samson Itodo, Dhiren Mansingh, Simbarashe Mhungu, Simbarashe Mhuriro, Makgola Makololo, Uzoma Nwagba, Vivian Onano, Mohamed Osman, Akintunde Oyebode, Lalaina Randriarimanana, Emilia Siwingwa.