Southern Africa Civil Society Leadership Development Initiative LaunchedThe launch of a regional Leadership for Change initiative in Mauritius on Friday, 30 September 2011, marked the beginning of a process to build the leadership capability of civil society leaders in the southern Africa region to engage meaningfully with policy makers and leaders in other sectors of society.
"There is an increasing recognition by governments and businesses alike in our region, that civil society formations are important actors in poverty reduction efforts," said Neville Gabriel, executive director of the Southern Africa Trust. "However, civil society groups need to be increasingly sophisticated in their approaches to make the most of the new opportunities that this recognition presents," he said. "They often do not know how to do this because it requires new ways of thinking and acting with different role-players."
"Civil society formations in the region need better opportunities for collective strategic reflection and planning so that their positions and actions are better informed, improved skills to engage with leaders in business and government, and support for new generations of civil society society leaders to emerge who are able to work at once with multiple interest groups to create lasting change for the benefit of poor people in the region," he said. "That is why the Leadership for Change initiative has been launched," said Gabriel.
The government of Mauritius, through the Ministry of Social Security, National Solidarity and Reform Institutions, affirmed the strong collaboration between the Southern Africa Trust and the Mauritius Council for Social Service (MACOSS) that brought the initiative to this stage. Speaking at the launch event, Mr Duva Pentiah, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, applauded the fast implementation of the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) that was signed between the Trust, MACOSS and the Ministry, and expressed the gratitude of the Minister of Social Security to the Trust for mobilizing resources to implement the MOU.
"This is already a clear demonstration of commitment and leadership," he said, adding that "the government of Mauritius will give its full support to this initiative and has given a plot of land for the construction of a Regional Civil Society Learning and Leadership Centre".
The Centre will house the Leadership for Change programme and will also serve as the new offices for MACOSS. A sod-turning ceremony to launch the construction of the Centre was announced for the afternoon of 3October 2011.
Sixteen men and women from eleven southern African countries have been selected as the inaugural Leadersship for Change fellows. They will complete four sessions of the programme over a two year period.
The first session being held in Mauritius from 29 September to 4 October 2011, addresses the challenges of leadership in a new context in the region. Participants will critically examine their own leadership styles and values, drawing lessons from various approaches to leadership, and identifying strengths and weaknesses.
Dakarayi Matanga from the Zimbabwe Coalition in Debt and Development (ZIMCODD) said that he is part of the Leadership for Change initiative "because of its goals of linking pro-poor policy development and implementation to effective leadership of institutions designed to achieve those goals."
Martha Olutu from Tanzania's Foundation for Civil Society said that participation in the initiative will greatly enhance her ability to engage with different people at different levels, including policy makers and people from the private sector, especially at regional level.
Camilo Nhancale from Mozambique's Foundation for Community Development (FDC) said: I believe that participating in this initiative will help me improve and add value to my current leadership work and my future work in influencing change".
Chilufya Chileshe from the Zambian Governance Foundation (ZGF) said that being part of the Leadership for Change initiative will help her "to contribute to internal decisions regarding the approaches to be used to support civil society groups with technical expertise."
Antonio Kiala from Angola's national coalition of non-governmental organisations (FONGA) says that the Leadership for Change initiative will equip him with the tools to "improve [his] leadership role and strategies for effective coordination within [his] organisation and amongst member civil society organisations."
The launch was attended by over seventy people from government departments, diplomatic missions, civil society organisations, the business community, and international organisations.
The Southern Africa Trust is an independent, regional, non-profit agency that supports deeper and wider engagement to overcome poverty in southern Africa.
For more information about the Leadership for Change initiative please contact:
Zanele Bingwa
Corporate Communications Manager
Southern Africa Trust
Tel: +27 11 318 1012
Mobile: +27 78 458 9560
Website: www.lead4change.org.
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