LEAD (Leadership for Environment and Development) is the world’s largest not-for-profit organization promoting leadership and sustainable development. Founded in 1991, LEAD has 13 member programmes around the world, with a fast growing network of leaders and professionals in more than 80 countries, who are inspired and committed to achieving leadership and good governance for a sustainable world. In Africa, a number of individuals from various sectors have been trained to exercise leadership in sustainable development. LEAD identifies outstanding young people across sectors and cultures, develop their leadership potential and understanding of sustainable development, and mobilize them in a network to help achieve sustainable development. LEAD Africa comprises three LEAD member programmes (LEAD Anglophone West Africa, LEAD Francophone Africa, and LEAD Southern and Eastern Africa) in 32 countries.

The LEAD Africa Fellowship Programme (LAFP) is in its third year of delivery, and took a moment to reflect on best emerging practices, and identified, explored and agreed upon a jointly reviewed operations manual to ensure management effectiveness and harmonized delivery of the programme. The workshop took place in Senegal and brought together LEAD Africa Programme Directors and key staff, as well as LEAD International, to work collaboratively to discuss, share and build together a practice guide for running the LAFP. The three-day facilitated event was interactive, output-focused and came up with a first draft of the LAFP Practice Guidelines Manual.

LEAD Africa joined participants from around the world in Durban – Republic of South Africa for the United Nations Climate Change Conference technically referred to as COP 17/CMP7. The Conference of the Parties (COP17) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the 7th Session of the Meeting of the Parties (CMP7) to the Kyoto Protocol brought together representatives of the world’s governments, international organizations and civil society from November 28 to December 9, 2011.

LEAD Africa ran an exhibition stand throughout the event (Nov 28-Dec 9) at The African Pavilion put in place by the African Union Commission, The African Development Bank and The Republic of South Africa. Prominent among exhibition material was the Bakel film titled: ‘Where we used to fish we now grow food’ and a second in a series on ‘African Leadership on Climate Change in Africa…

The LEAD Africa Fellowship Programme (LAFP) has just graduated Cohort 16 Fellows after they completed their training at the Pan-African Session under the theme: Renewable energy for sustainable development. The session took place from September 4-8, 2011 in Abuja-Nigeria where Associates shared experiences on national energy sector case studies in Chad, Malawi, Nigeria and Senegal and exchanged on their LEAD Associate Projects (LAPs) at a colorful eco-solutions networking fair. Another high point of the Abuja agenda was the field visits where Associates exchanged on cross-cutting environmental, socio-economic, leadership and sustainable development issues. The Cohort 16 Fellows are now part of a global LEAD Fellows network bringing change to the world.

Upscaling training in partnership with LEAD National Associations

LEAD Francophone Africa, one of the three Regional Member Programmes in LEAD Africa has achieved a ground breaking experience by organizing a Cohort training in partnership with a LEAD National Association, the first time in the history of LEAD. This turning point event is within the framework of the LEAD Africa Fellowship Programme (LAFP) designed in 2009; piloted in two African locations in 2010 and rolled out across Africa in 2011.

The LAFP is currently training Cohort 16 Associates from Malawi, Tanzania, Nigeria, Senegal and Tchad.  Based on their LEAD National Associations, LEAD Francophone Africa selected the LEAD Tchad National Association in 2011 to upscale the LAFP.

LEAD Southern and Eastern Africa has just ended its first national training session under the LEAD Africa Fellowship Programme (LAFP) in Malawi from May 8 to 15, 2011. The Cohort 16 Associates come from Malawi and Tanzania and expressed satisfactory comments on the training’s positive impact on leadership during the session evaluation. Among the recommendations is for Associates to communicate and mix with each other so as to effectively contribute to the objectives of the programme. This can be made easy by the optimal use of the LAFP training platform.

IUCN Director General Julia MARTON- LEFEVRE (Centre) meets with LEAD Fellows in the Democratic Republic of Congo on July 7, 2011: Brigitte Mbuyi Bilonda (Right) is Director of Horticulture and Reforestation at the Ministry of Environment, Nature Conservation and Tourism and Pascal Didier Muderwa Marandura (Left) is Manager at the country’s Central Bank. She was crossing the Congo River from Brazzaville where she was attending a meeting,

The LEAD Africa Coordinator/ LEAD Francophone Africa Director Masse LO led a delegation of some LEAD Africa Fellows in Dakar on February 17, 2011 to cheer the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Director General, Julia MARTON –LEFEVRE who is former LEAD International Executive Director and is still member of the Board of Directors of LEAD International. Julia MARTON –LEFEVRE was in Dakar to inaugurate the IUCN Country Office and also chair the IUCN global executive meeting.