ALIWA Advocates Values-Driven Leadership for Africa’s Institutional Renewal

Funmi Ogundare

As part of efforts to drive leadership transformation, the Africa Leadership Initiative West Africa (ALIWA), has reiterated its commitment to strengthening institutions, improving governance, and driving social progress across West Africa.
It recently launched its national leadership dialogue, a forum designed to bring leaders together to tackle pressing societal and institutional challenges through constructive dialogue and shared learning.
Speaking at a media parley in Lagos, the President of the ALIWA Nigeria Chapter, Mr. Soji Apampa, underscored the importance of dialogue and principled leadership in tackling Africa’s complex challenges.
According to him, societies advance when leaders prioritise dialogue over conflict, values over power and service over self-interest.
He said that ALIWA is building a community of leaders who recognise that leadership goes beyond titles and positions, adding that true leadership lies in a commitment to the public good and the creation of systems that serve society as a whole.
Founded over 20 years ago, ALIWA is a regional leadership development organisation affiliated with the Aspen Institute, USA, and is established through a collaboration between Databank Foundation (Ghana) and LEAP Africa (Nigeria).
Apampa stated that the organisation is guided by the vision of creating a good society, a just, equitable, and sustainable society where opportunities are accessible to all, and is committed to developing the next generation of community-spirited leaders in Africa who move from success to significance while being equipped to meet the challenges of 21st-century leadership.
“ALIWA brings together high-achieving, cross-sector leaders from business and finance, public service and policy, technology and entrepreneurship, as well as civil Society and media across four West African nations; Nigeria, Ghana, Liberia, and Sierra Leone.
“Fellows are senior leaders dedicated to ethical decision-making, long-term societal impact, and the transformation of institutions,” he stressed.
As a member of the Aspen Global Leadership Network (AGLN), the president noted that ALIWA connects its fellows to a global community of over 4,000 high-integrity, entrepreneurial leaders spanning business, government, and civil society in more than 60 countries.
Speaking on the importance of the initiative, the Executive Director of ALIWA, Mrs. Ayo Maji stated that the fellowship is intentionally structured to move leaders from success to significance.
“Our fellowship is designed to shape leaders who are grounded in values, committed to ethical decision-making, and prepared to use their influence to strengthen institutions and improve lives,” she said.
She urged participants to look beyond personal achievements to their broader responsibility to society.