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"When you build a house, you have to start with the foundation." In an interview with the Africa Center, Lt. Col. Mademba Aliou Fall discusses the Senegalese Army's bottom-up strategy for developing leadership skills.
“To be an effective leader, you must want to empower those following you,” says General Martin Luther Agwai in an interview with the Africa Center for Strategic Studies.
Examples from Uganda, Malawi, Rwanda, and Tanzania offer lessons of how ethical leadership is central to maintaining public trust in the security sector and ultimately preserving stability and peace.
Tanzania's Julius Nyerere and Mozambique’s Joaquim Chissano offer notable examples of strategic leadership, showing that leaders must seek accommodation with enemies and have the moral courage to persuade reluctant followers, and that strategic leaders hold themselves to high standards of moral and ethical conduct, ultimately creating an enabling environment for leadership succession.
The examples of ethical leadership provided by Nelson Mandela and Julius Nyerere show the importance of modeling norms of conduct at the highest levels.
Kate Almquist Knopf, Director; Raymond Gilpin, Academic Dean; Daniel Hampton, Chief of Staff, Professor of Practice, Security Studies; Gerald Lefler, Chief, Community/Alumni Affairs; Col. Loïc Mizon, Senior French Rep.; Col. Steven Parker, Senior Military Advisor; Joseph Siegle, Research Director.
The failure of African leaders to address institutional shortcomings caused by their militaries’ colonial roots has contributed to confusion within many African militaries over their role and priorities. Moral leadership is essential for reversing this situation.
If an army does not believe in the cause it is called upon to fight for, and if it does not have faith in the organizations and institutions that generate its orders and directives, it will likely come apart when faced by determined and well-armed insurgents.
The preparation of leaders for higher policy and command responsibilities at the strategic decision-making as well as operational levels is a major requirement for success in the effective and sound management of state affairs and strategic policy, a panel of international officials said at the Africa Center’s Senior Leaders Seminar on June 9, 2014. The... Continue Reading
China’s party-army model, whereby the army is subordinate to a single ruling party, is antithetical to the multiparty democratic systems with an apolitical military accountable to elected leaders adopted by most African countries.
Mauritania’s security reforms, including training, enhanced mobility, Special Forces, prudent procurement, and community engagement have strengthened its capability to confront violent extremist groups.
President Alpha Condé’s maneuvers to adopt a new Constitution despite popular opposition are another step toward subverting democratic checks and balances in order to secure a third term as president.