BUILDING BRIDGES: LEADING IN PUBLIC LIFE Young African Leaders Programme 2016 Graduate School of Development Policy and Practice Strategic leadership for Africa’s public sector Graduate School of Development Policy and Practice Linkoping House 27 Burg Road Rondebosch 7700 South Africa Web: www.gsdpp.uct.ac.za Twitter: @UCTGSDPP Building Bridges Programme Programme Director: Dr Marianne Camerer Email: [email protected] Programme Assistant: Mabel Sithole Email: [email protected] Phone: +27-21-650-1768 Copy and concept by: Vaun Cornell Design by: Magenta Media Printed by: Hansa Print Photographs by: Liam Cornell 3 Graduate School of Development Policy and Practice 4 Building Bridges 6 Activism for Development 8 Welcome Reception at Linkoping 10 Challenge of Leadership Today 12 Agency, Ethics and Finding Your Truth 20 Leading Change and Working Towards African Solutions 24 Collaboration 26 Applying the Learning 30 Meet the Young Leaders 56 Speakers and Presenters 62 Faculty 1 GSDPP staff at Linkoping: (standing) Hannah Lindiwe Diaz, Programme Coordinator, Executive Short Courses; Veleska Maphike, Programme Assistant Executive Short Courses; Brian Levy, Academic Director; Maria Beaunoir, Secretary & Receptionist; Mabel Sithole, Programme Assistant Building Bridges; Wendy Hendricks, Administrator: Events and Logistics; Zorodzai Matima, Finance Officer; (seated) Marianne Camerer, Director Building Bridges; Kelvin Chabala, Finance & Operations Manager; Alan Hirsch, Director; Jud Cornell, Institutional Director (retired 2016); (inset): Elvina Moosa, Masters Programme Manager GSDPP INTERNATIONAL ADVISORY BOARD The School has an International Advisory Board Oriental and African Studies, University of London comprising the following distinguished academics Benno Ndulu, Governor of the Bank of Tanzania and practitioners: Joel Netshitenzhe, Executive Director of the Jo Beall, Director Education and Society and an Mapungubwe Institute for Strategic Reflection Executive Board member at the British Council, (MISTRA) former Head of Policy in the Presidency, London South Africa (1999–2009) Kwesi Botchwey, Member of the President’s Dani Rodrik, Ford Foundation Professor of Economic Advisory Council, Ghana, and former International Political Economy, Harvard Kennedy Finance Minister of Ghana (1982–1996) School, Harvard University Francis Fukuyama, Olivier Nomellini Senior Fellow Ngaire Woods, Founding Dean Blavatnik School at the Freeman Spogli Institute for International of Public Policy and Professor of Global Economic Studies, Stanford University Governance, University of Oxford. Mushtaq Khan, Professor of Economics, School of 2 LEADING IN PUBLIC LIFE | YOUNG AFRICAN LEADERS PROGRAMME 2016 Graduate School of Development Policy and Practice The mission of the Graduate School of Since its establishment, the GSDPP has become a Development Policy and Practice (GSDPP), significant player in strengthening the capacity of public based at the University of Cape Town, is to promote officials in South Africa and in the rest of the continent, and inspire strategic public leadership in Africa with and in building the skills of policymakers across a strong emphasis on accountability and trust in the continent. governance. The GSDPP aims to make public service at the highest levels of leadership an aspiration for the The School, with its explicit mission to promote most talented of Africa’s rising generation, and is one strategic leadership in Africa’s public sector, is led by of the of the few public leadership institutions located senior figures with extensive experience in government in the global South. A multi-disciplinary centre, the and international organisations – Alan Hirsch is School’s goal is to build an esprit de corps amongst Professor of Development Policy and Practice and leaders in South Africa and Africa more broadly, and Director of the GSDPP, Brian Levy is Professor of to establish and promote peer networks and linkages Development Policy and Practice and the School’s between leaders in government and in other fields Academic Director, Lindiwe Msengana-Ndlela is an such as academia, business, civil society and the arts. Adjust Professor at the GSDPP and Marianne Camerer is Director of the Building Bridges programme. There are four main components to the School’s activities: Building Bridges is a multi-year policy-focused research and outreach programme combining • A professional Masters in Development Policy and fellowships, meetings and workshops and a leadership Practice development component. By ‘building bridges’ • Executive short courses designed for public leaders between political actors and policy research experts, and officials, international and national non-profits, the programme aims to close the gap between think-tanks and the private sector analysis and action on the difficult issues facing Africa. • The Building Bridges programme which brings Each year stakeholders from across the public sphere in together established and emerging public leaders, several sub-Saharan countries – including journalists, policymakers and experts from across Africa on civil society leaders and parliamentarians – are key policy issues invited to participate in broadening the conversation • A centre for research on governance and with policymakers and experts at regional events, development. supported by current research, data, case studies and other evidence. The GSDPP is well placed to promote scholarship This publication highlights the two-week residential on African experiences of development policy and Leading in Public Life component of the Building practice, to shape discourses that are based on Bridges programme. continental realities and to attract African leaders and decision makers to participate in its programmes. 3 Building Bridges Leading in Public Life Public leadership addresses public concerns and issues and takes place in the public sphere rather than Leadership Model within a narrower organisational context dealing with private interests. It is leadership geared to effecting Agency political, social, economic and ecological change The capacity to be an effective, courageous and whether one is working for government or outside ethical agent requires personal self-awareness, of government in the private sector, a civil society understanding and mastery of leadership styles organisation, in the media or in academia. Public and skills, and a commitment to integrity and leadership is particularly important at times of change ethics. The focus is on how an individual is and crisis. Africa is at a critical juncture – its population performing in their immediate environment. growth, youth ‘bulge’, urban transitions and growing economies create escalating opportunity and risk. Driving change and innovation There is need for a new generation of high quality The capacity to drive change and innovation leaders to emerge and lead change on the continent. involves harnessing the power of people, leading and managing, using creativity and lateral Leading in Public Life aims to strengthen public thinking, and building a vision. The focus is on leadership in Africa and create networks connecting a the role of a leader in a wider organisational strong cohort of ethical young leaders committed to or social context, in particular how to address driving change in their own countries and across the complex, often seemingly intractable problems continent. Our holistic leadership model is rooted in and challenges. both indigenous knowledge and global discourse on leadership with a strong focus on the key ingredients of leadership that we need to develop as Africans Collaboration committed to public service. The programme The capacity to leverage networks and alliances emphasises the importance of acknowledging the for collaborative actions requires knowledge specific character of development challenges and and skills in how to bridge divides, facilitate draws on the rich and diverse experience of leadership collaboration and communicate in a modern thinking and practice on the continent. networked era. The focus is on leading and managing others, establishing trust and The two-week residential programme provides a maximising the potential in people. unique learning space, combining substantive inputs from African policy and thought leaders focused on a Integration central theme, with the development of core leadership The capacity to explore and foster African skills and the practical application of concepts and solutions to African – and global – problems tools in real-life situations. Emotional intelligence, requires understanding different development ethics and values, balancing personal and professional paradigms and approaches and how to integrate development, creativity and innovation, self-reflection and apply the learning in leadership. The focus is and effective communication, and practical ways to on demonstrating thought leadership and building integrate learning in the lifelong journey of leadership, networks of influence within countries, regions, are key themes woven throughout the curriculum. Africa and globally. 4 LEADING IN PUBLIC LIFE | YOUNG AFRICAN LEADERS PROGRAMME 2016 The young leaders visiting Robben Island. Through this blend of conceptual and skills work the Building Bridges team with expert input and with experiential learning and creative activities, each assistance from David Schmidt of Strategies for participant is invited on a personal journey to reflect on Change, and facilitated by Maria Phalime.