Empowering a New Generation of African Leaders: Transformative African Leadership

Led by a pan-African consortium of leading universities, from Morocco to Kenya, including Senegal and South Africa, Transformative African Leadership (TAL) is much more than a training program. It is an 8-month program designed for professionals already engaged, already in positions of responsibility, and ready to take the next step in leading systemic transformations for the benefit of the continent.

An Ambitious Pan-African Initiative

The AFD Campus is taking another step in its commitment to the development of the African continent with the launch of the Transformative African Leadership (TAL) program. This large-scale, high-level initiative, designed to support African executives and leaders, is based on a unique academic partnership, led from the Global South, bringing together four leading African universities:

• – University of Cape Town, through the Nelson Mandela School of Public Governance
• – Mohammed VI Polytechnic University (UM6P)
• – Cheikh Anta Diop University (UCAD)
• – University of Nairobi, through its Institute for Development Studies (IDS)

This consortium embodies a new way of thinking about the training of African elites: rooted in local realities, while remaining resolutely open to global challenges.

Training Leaders of Transformation

Conceived as an Executive Education program, TAL aims to train a generation of leaders who are committed to tackling the continent’s complex challenges: mid-career professionals engaged in positions of responsibility: public sector executives, business leaders, entrepreneurs, civil society actors, and high-potential young leaders. Democratic governance, sustainable development, and economic transformation: these are all challenges that require a renewed approach to leadership.

The program is based on several fundamental pillars:

• Leadership inspired by African values, particularly the concept of Ubuntu*
• A systemic analysis of public policies and economic dynamics
• A strong focus on intersectoral cooperation
• A continental perspective, particularly regarding the challenges related to the AfCFTA (African Continental Free Trade Area).

An innovative format, combining immersion and flexibility

The TAL program spans eight months and combines complementary formats to accommodate the constraints of working professionals: two one-week in-person immersion sessions, and a tutored online course throughout the eight months, for a total of 120 hours of training. It provides a space for peer learning, sharing experiences, and transforming ideas into action.

Delivered primarily in English (B2 level required), the training fosters exchanges between participants from diverse backgrounds, thus strengthening collective intelligence.

Participants are selected based on their application.

Investing in the future of the continent

With TAL, the AFD Campus and its partners affirm a strong conviction: the development of the African continent depends on leaders capable of thinking and acting differently, by mobilizing collective, sustainable solutions adapted to African realities.

The call for applications is now open.

Program start date: September 2026.

Learn more and apply: https://www.taljourney.com/

*Ubuntu: a Bantu term describing an African philosophy of humanity and solidarity. Championed by Nelson Mandela, this concept is summarized by Desmond Tutu as follows: “Someone with Ubuntu is open and available to others” because they are aware “of belonging to something bigger”.