Leadership Development in Africa: A contextual and Literature Review

Project on Leadership development in Africa aimed at setting the foundation for leadership development initiatives for organizations in Africa. Impact in leadership development and practice in the context of Africa.

The problem of ineffective leadership is a constant worry for private and public organisations in Africa . Scholars and politicians have abundantly voiced concerns and elucidated the monumental fallout of poor leadership for nations and organisations in Africa (Agulanna, 2006; Moghalu, 2017; Rotberg, 2004). The outcome of this interrogation has surfaced a developing body of work suggesting and proposing frameworks that could help promote leadership effectiveness for private and political organisations in Africa (Kuada, 2010; Muchiri, 2011; Obiakor, 2004). These concerted effort is founded on the consideration within scholarly work that improve leadership effectiveness in public, private and political organizations in the continent could enable leaders to better harness the continent’s resources, and hence, equitably address the persistent social and economic challenges entrapping the continent (Kuada, 2010; Obiakor, 2004; F.O. Walumbwa, Avolio, & Aryee, 2011). Increasingly, analysts are positing that leadership development could play an important role in Africa’s development. Accordingly, organizations such as HAUS in Finland are deploying resources for research that seeks a better understanding of the African terrain in a bid to improve leadership effectiveness in Africa and to make a difference in the performance of African organizations. This review examines leadership development and associated issues in the African context. The report is structured into four chapters. The first presents the context, rationale and methodology. The second highlights dominant issues, explores key debates and examines approaches to leadership development in general. The third focuses on the history, nature and challenges of leadership and leadership development in Africa. The last chapter discusses dominant issues and provides direction for future leadership development orientation for Africa.