About PfAL
Training a new generation of African leaders
The Programme for African Leadership (PfAL) is an extra-curricular programme focused on leadership development and networking. It is available to LSE graduate students who identify with the African continent.
PfAL has been an inspiring forum to challenge myself and other enthusiastic young Africans to learn from each other.
PfAL empowers a new generation of African leaders to promote best practices of global economic and social development in any community, organisation or country, with specific focus on the African continent.
The bespoke programme of activities and events throughout the academic year aims to educate, challenge, and inspire students. It provides them with an opportunity to reflect on their own development as future leaders of African organisations and communities.
- In the Autumn Term, students work on a group project that develops key leadership skills such as problem-solving, creative and critical thinking, influencing, and collaboration.
- During the Winter Term a series of student-led debates provide a platform for the cohort to discuss and explore issues facing the African continent and Africans today.
- PfAL hosts talks from an ever changing array of business leaders and political figures ensuring that each year's cohort has a unique experience. Past speakers have included the Rt Hon Lord Boateng; H.E. John Dramani Mahama, President of Ghana; and Lady Dentaa Amoateng.
- In addition to the training, a programme of social events develop and strengthen new friendships among the group and creates a network of future leaders who continue to learn from each other.
- Every student who completes the programme is presented with a certificate at the PfAL graduation in June and is invited to join the ever growing PfAL Network.
- PfAL was born from the shared vision between LSE and the Lalji family to empower a new generation of ethical, effective and authentic African leaders. The first PfAL cohort arrived in London in March 2012 and around 80 students now enroll in the programme every year, which has over 1,000 alumni around the world.
- In July 2016, PfAL joined the Firoz Lalji Institute for Africa, to centralise LSE's Africa-related activities and research under one roof. As part of the Institute, PfAL is in an unique position to draw on the range of expertise, resources and opportunities across the School to challenge, enrich, and inspire students on their paths to becoming future leaders.
African Union Youth Envoy
Chido Cleopatra Mpemba, the African Union Youth Envoy actively engages with youth, AU Member States, and stakeholders to advocate for the inclusion and empowerment of young people in Africa's development agenda and has continued to call for the ratification and implementation of the African Youth Charter.
Ashoka
Ashoka identifies and supports the world's leading social entrepreneurs, learns from the patterns in their innovations, and mobilises a global community that embraces these new frameworks to build an "everyone is a changemaker world".
Chevening
Cheveningis the UK government’s international scholarships and fellowships programme. Funded by the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) and partner organisations, it offers individuals who show potential to inspire, inform, and influence positive change the opportunity to study at a UK university to gain a UK educational qualification.
PwC
PricewaterhouseCoopersInternational Limited is a British multinational professional services brand of firms, operating as partnerships under the PwC brand.
Wellbeing Foundation Africa
The Wellbeing Foundation Africawas founded in 2004 by Her Excellency Mrs Toyin Ojora Saraki, with the aim of improving health outcomes for women, infants and children. At the Wellbeing Foundation Africa, programmes are combined with advocacy work in Nigeria and around the world.
GIZ
GIZis a service provider in the field of international cooperation for sustainable development and international education work dedicated to shaping a future worth living around the world. They have over 50 years of experience in a wide variety of areas, including economic development and employment promotion, energy and the environment, and peace and security.
Channels TV
Channels Television is a Nigerian independent 24-hour news and media television channel based in Lagos, Nigeria.
PfAL coaches provide students on the Programme for African Leadership the opportunity to learn first-hand about career development and leadership skills. Their invaluable experience is offered to students as part of the programme's group coaching sessions.
Over the past two decades, ’Dapo has worked at the intersection of governance, public policy, international development, management consulting and global affairs. In the public sector, he has served as Special Adviser on International & Interparliamentary Affairs to the Speaker of Nigeria’s House of Representatives; and also, as a Special Adviser to two cabinet ministers.
In the private sector he has worked as Director of Public Sector Development at Palladium Group and also as Senior Public Sector Adviser at McKinsey & Company where he spearheaded engagement with government and donors. In the international development sector, he headed the Research, Policy and Strategy Team of SPARC - the UK’s Department for International Development’s (DFID) technical assistance programme in Nigeria.
He is a Senior Yale World Fellow, Senior Aspen New Voices Fellow, Chevening Scholar (LSE MSc, Global Politics) and co-editor of the book ‘Development as Dignity: Frontline Stories from Development Practitioners in the Global South’ and author of‘Ten key Lessons African Leaders Should Learn from Tackling the Covid-19 Pandemic’.
Frances Mensah Williams CBE
Frances brings extensive experience gained from Director level and senior leadership HR roles in the UK and Africa across sectors including finance, energy, advertising, technology, and not-for-profit. She coaches top level executives across multiple regions charged with implementing strategic, organisational and culture change, as well as aspiring board candidates, women leaders, and professionals from underrepresented groups. Her multicultural background and working experience in both developed and emerging markets gives her a deep understanding of leading across cultures and the importance of diversity and inclusion to achieve results.
An award-winning entrepreneur, Frances has led talent development projects in the UK and Africa and established ReConnect Africa.com, a careers portal for African professionals. A bestselling novelist and author of three business books, she also writes feature articles and thought leadership pieces for national newspapers and magazines. Frances was awarded the title of CBE by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II in 2020 for services to Africa and Africans in the UK.
Yousra Abdelmoneim
Yousra Abdelmoneim is a senior manager at PwC UK in Commercial Control assurance working on advising Capital Projects and largely focused on the Middle East. She joined PwC as a placement year student and re-joined the firm's Banking and Capital Markets audit graduate programme after completing her BSc Economics at the University of Sussex. She completed her ACA exams and became an ICAEW chartered accountant and then transferred to Internal Audit working with Local Government and became CIA qualified.
Alongside her role she co-leads the PwC refugee working group which is aimed at supporting refugees into professional employment and leads Social Mobility initiatives within her department aimed at raising awareness.
Mujo Othol
Mujo Othol is a Transformative Coach and Senior Innovation Consultant. As a Coach, she guides her clients in navigating life and career transitions and leading with a sense of alignment and courage. As an Innovation Consultant, Mujo works with leading companies to design human-centred products, services and cultures.
She has worked with organisations such as NatWest, Nivea, Avon, Sanofi and Save The Children in a global capacity. She holds an MSc in African Development from LSE and a BSc in Economics from Leicester University.
DrAkanimoOdon
Akanimo Odon holds a master’s degree in Environmental Rehabilitation, a PhD in Environmental Management from Lancaster University, and business and enterprise certifications and fellowships from Cambridge University, Stanford University, and MIT. He specialises in cross-border education and innovations in research and is an expert in navigating, developing, and managing relationships between academia, government and industry in Africa for economic viability, research impact and student employability.
He recently founded Flexy-Learn, a one-stop online shop for distance learning provision for Africa. He is Principal Consultant of Envirofly Consulting UK. He is the Strategic Adviser of the Innov8 Huband Mentor on the Nigerian Government TETFUND funded TETFAIR Programme.
Learn more about PfAL by reading our report on the 12th corhort of PfAL.
