Professor Olusola Oyewole, the secretary general of the Association of African Universities, has pushed for the creation of leadership-focused universities in Africa to generate and nurture transformative leaders for the continent’s growth.
In a speech he gave as the guest speaker at the inaugural graduation ceremony of the Sundoulos Advanced Leadership Training (SALT) Institute in Accra over the weekend, Prof. Oyewole noted that the continent of Africa suffers from a dearth of visionary leaders, which is the cause of its myriad problems.
The Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA), the mentoring school, on behalf of the SALT Institute, conferred master’s degrees on a total of 15 students from two programs.
They included six MA in Leadership and nine MA in International Relations and Diplomacy (MAIRD).
Like any other profession, according to Prof. Oyewole, leaders needed specialized training to provide them with the skills necessary to come up with new solutions to the continent’s enduring issues.
“Africa needs transformational leaders, therefore let’s start creating specialist leadership universities and encouraging the teaching of transformational leadership”, he added.
“As you are aware, I’m from Nigeria. We have universities that specialize. I served as the University of Agriculture’s vice chancellor. We have technical universities. Additionally, we have universities that specialize in medicine and education”.
“It’s time to promote the establishment of specialized colleges with a focus on developing the leaders who will bring about the needed change in our nation”, the author continued.
He praised the SALT Institute’s leadership for its dedication to leadership development in Ghana.
In his words, “I think the SALT Institute is only getting started, and very soon we shall witness results of this Institute altering our continent in education, in politics, in the media, in social services, among others.
In order to promote growth, he also exhorted the graduates to be the change that the continent had long desired.
The SALT Institute’s Rector, Dr. Fatima Alabo, stated that the institute was motivated by the deep conviction that the African continent’s brighter days were ahead.
She stated that the Institute was pleased to be a part of the planned initiative to develop the continent’s upcoming generation of transformative thinkers and servant leaders.
The SALT Institute in Ghana, she stated, “would assist narrow the leadership gap in Africa and restore our beloved continent to its heavenly status of richness and splendour on the global arena.”
The SALT Institute is confident that its human capital initiatives will produce a new breed of servant leaders whose application of sound biblical principles will have an impact on systems of governance and leadership throughout the continent, according to Mr Emeka Nwankpa, Chairman, Board of Trustees, SALT Institute.
In order to narrow the leadership gap in Africa and restore our beloved continent to its heavenly status of richness and glory on the international stage, he stated, “We firmly think that the academic enterprise of the SALT Institute in Ghana.”
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