Leadership code

Leadership Code

“I am because we are”

We recognise that Africa is a diverse continent, rich in resources, both natural and human.
We recognise Africa’s ability to chart its own development agenda.
We acknowledge that conflict, poverty and disease cost many lives, that discrimination excludes too many and harms all, and that there is undeniable need for the creation of an enabling environment for sustainable development and social justice.
We further acknowledge that Africa’s development is often derailed by poor governance practices and divisions amongst political and leadership elites.
We note the need for transformative leadership at every level of society and in every sector, for equity, justice and well-being to prevail on the Continent.

Our mission

To utilise value-based leadership to transform Africa through active citizenship, advocacy, collaboration and networking.

Our principles and values

1. Peace and justice: We make peace a goal in all our endeavours; we will accept and adopt non-violence as the ethos to achieve meaningful change against oppression and domination; we will ensure that justice is not only done but manifestly seen to be done and enjoyed by all.

2. Transparency and accountability: We commit ourselves, family, institutions and nations to a high standard of transparency and accountability. We understand accountability to refer to the obligation of an individual or organisation to be answerable for its activities and accept responsibility for them. Openness in sharing information, plans, data and outcomes is essential to this.

3. Diversity: We embrace differences in heritage, cultures, backgrounds, ideas and perspectives, harnessing this in the pursuit of excellence.

4. Inclusivity: We seek participation of the people we serve in our endeavours regardless of nationality, race, ethnicity, religion, sex, sexual orientation, creed or disability.

5. Humility: we understand that each of us must have a reasonable and modest view of one’s own importance. We each therefore commit to the service of our respective communities and strive to remain accessible and tolerant to all.

6. Respect: We value courtesy and respect to others; we commit to monitor ourselves in terms of how we relate to others and hold each other accountable in this regard.

7. Integrity: We seek honesty and consistency in our values and actions to foster truth and trust. We seek to remain true to who we are and what we seek to do.

8. Women’s empowerment and gender equality: We believe in and work towards equality between men and women and commit to creating an environment that provides equal opportunity and empowerment for women. In so doing we will work to end all forms of discrimination and violence against women.

Our commitments

We are committed to making a positive impact on the Continent through:

Supporting initiatives that reduce poverty in a sustainable manner, and where necessary challenging those that create dependency

Working to foster social justice and human rights on the Continent

Strengthening and mobilising the voices of African citizens at national, regional and international levels

Promoting African intellectualism, storytelling, expertise, higher education and research

Fostering an environment where young Africans can reach their full potential

Empowering and mentoring others to take up leadership within their areas of influence

Providing an enabling environment where women have equal opportunities to succeed

We are committed to the PfAL Network, and pledge to actively foster and further this network through engaging in collaboration with and support of our fellow network members.