ALU, a network of world-class tertiary education institutions offering programs aimed at developing Africa’s future leaders, have admitted 180 students from 22 African countries to African Leadership College, its flagship campus in Mauritius.
The Mauritius campus has partnered with Glasgow Caledonian University (GCU), its founding academic partner, who will award the institution’s first degrees in Business Management, Computer Science, Social Sciences and Applied Psychology.
Welcoming the students, ALU’s founder, Fred Swaniker, said innovation and ingenious transformation are critical if institutions of higher learning in Africa are to play a catalytic development role in the 21st century.
“We are delighted to welcome these young bright minds to the ALU community. We have no doubt of their will, ability and passion to bring to reality our long-sought after dream of a prosperous Africa. ALU recognises the imperative for innovation in making institutions of higher education in Africa relevant and efficient in meeting today’s development needs. ALU’s model combines a bespoke technology platform, rigorous teaching methods and a world-class curriculum into a unique hybrid of a virtual and ‘brick and mortar’ educational experience to develop the skills and mindsets necessary for Africa’s transformation in the 21st century.”
ALU’s curriculum is deliberately designed to train students in critical leadership skills, expose them to the real world of work, and deepen their personal and intellectual growth. In their first year, students undertake what is called the Foundation Core, a programme made of four key courses – Communicating for Impact, Data and Decisions, Projects, and Entrepreneurial Leadership. The courses equip students with fundamental skills essential to success in leadership. These include critical thinking, quantitative reasoning, effective communication, managing complex tasks and providing leadership to teams in the context of complex systems. Each year, students undertake a 4-month internship program at leading organisations in the private and public sector to accelerate their mastery of skills learnt in class.
Swaniker further comments on the role of tertiary education institutions in driving Africa’s development:
“The end of major conflicts in Africa, reforms in governance and economic management, and a decade of steady economic growth now puts Africa on a promising growth trajectory. Whether this growth plateaus or translates to economic take-off entirely depends on the quality of leadership Africa produces. ALU’s mission is to grow a critical mass of high calibre, capable and ethical leaders to underwrite Africa’s transformation. Our resource constraints today mean that to be prosperous, Africa must do more, with less, and faster than everyone else. The answer here is innovation.”
ALU’s Mauritius campus, African Leadership College, was inaugurated in August last year by H.E. John Mahama, President of Ghana, and Xavier-Luc Duval, Deputy Prime Minister of Mauritius. Graça Machel, an accomplished Mozambican leader, international advocate for women and children’s rights, and social activist, is the inaugural Chancellor of the institution. Machel is also the former First Lady of Mozambique and South Africa.
