The Public Service Commission (PSC) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the African Leadership Academy (ALA), an Institution based in South Africa to train young Kenyans who are Alumni’s of ALA.
The objective of the partnership under the MOU is to implement an impactful high-level public service and government leadership fellowship programme seeking to identify young leaders with potential for next generation public service leadership and to train and develop the capacity of emerging leaders for government and public service.
It also seeks to place leadership fellows into mentorship and learning opportunities within senior ministerial government offices and to support the professional growth of the Fellows and their transition from potential to leadership.
Kenya has been selected by the Academy as the pioneering country where the first cohort of young leaders will be seconded to the civil service in the country to serve alongside senior government officials in leadership positions for a period of two years starting June or late July this year.
The cohort which has nationalities from Nigeria and Tanzania will see the placement of Kenya nationals in the country after undergoing pre training from May 17th to 26th 2024 in South Africa in the areas of policy, communication, protocol and wellness among others.
Speaking at the signing ceremony held at Commission House in Nairobi, the PSC Chairperson Amb. Anthony Muchiri said the partnership will transform the services offered to the masses and enhance leadership content.
He said the leadership training will have a regional and global implication as those who have passed through the training can be selected to work at the United Nations and other countries.
“The Public Service Leadership Programme embraces leadership from people who do not emanate from their country and values leadership of integrity,” said Muchiri.
He said value leadership is all about selfless service to serve people who put the officers in the offices they occupy to serve them, noting such is the kind of leadership public service expects from employees.
In her remarks, Ms. Valarie Wiggeti, the African Leadership Academy Senior Director of Career Programmes thanked the Commission for accepting to partner with the Academy and wished that other public service organizations’ across the continent emulate PSC.
She said the youth are the future of Africa and there’s need for both public and private sectors to bring about change amongst that generation.
Wiggeti said the institution values integrity, humility and curiosity which are the key elements the African continent is building on the next generation of African leaders.
“Our youth are the future, we need to ensure we empower them. Being in the public service is the most impact as it is an important space where they can learn and gain skills,” she stated and added” We need change and we need to bring it to the table.”
PSC Commissioner Amb. Salma Ahmed lauded the partnership noting that the MOU has come at an opportune time when Africa is growing to be the largest workforce rivaling China.
“There is a lot of potential in Africa, what we should ask ourselves is what we are going to do with it to meet the challenges which are important for the partnership,” she stated.
Commissioner Salma noted that the partnership is vital as it will assist to bring the right potential to the continent, adding that the Commission will take the challenges of the programmes and its values and align them with Kenya’s Constitution in relation to integrity.
“We will also bring our strength, feel honored and proud, we will walk with you in the long journey,” assured the Commissioner.
Amanda Chembezi, Senior Programme Manager Governance and Arts at the African Leadership Academy said the Academy’s leadership programme focuses on young leaders in Africa who have a first degree or master’s degree by giving them a chance to serve in the public service along senior members in the Public Service.
The candidates are highly talented and very keen to work with the leaders they will be given.
She said the Academy has a strong monitoring and evaluation course where they keep in touch with the trainees to check the impact of their work and whether they add value to the host organization.
“After the first year we will cement the relations between the two sides and then scale the programme as it is a long term” added Chembezi.
Pictures by Benedict Wasiche-KNA
She at the same time noted that ALA’s value of the programme is to see the young people who are eager to learn get essential leadership skills in the public service which is the driver of the economy in the African continent.
Arising from the common goals of the leadership programmes at PSC and ALA, on identifying potential and developing capacity and capability for emerging public service leaders, the parties have identified policy level mentorship and learning as an exceptionally defining component of an effective leadership programme with Africanist ambitions.
The African Leadership Academy founded in 2004 is a residential, secondary institution located in Johannesburg, South Africa and seeks to transform Africa by developing a powerful network of over 6,000 leaders who will work together to address Africa’s greatest challenges, achieve extraordinary social impact, and accelerate the continent’s growth and development trajectory.
By Bernadette Khaduli
