An educational partnership between France and Africa

LeAD Campus is an ambitious certifying training programme designed for African leaders from the private, public, and non-profit sectors to support the needs identified on the African continent.

A consortium comprised of Sciences Po, the ISM in Dakar, the GSDPP at UCT and the CEFEB will ensure the programme’s operational implementation. This alliance between African and French institutions is aligned with AfricaFrance’s principles of fostering stronger relations between Africa and France based on partnerships and a shared vision.

LeAD Campus - Global Leaders for Africa’s Development was launched on Friday 13th November, in a ceremony presided by Charline Avenel, Secretary General of Sciences Po, Anne Paugam, Executive director of AFD and Jean-Michel Debrat, Executive director of Fondation AfricaFrance ; and in attendance of Sarah Marniesse, development Advisor at the cabinet of Annick Girardin, Minister of state for Development and Francophony and Tony Elumelu, Chairman, United Bank of Africa / Founder of the Tony Elumelu Foundation.

The programme will be executed in close collaboration with African and French companies.

An educational partnership between France and Africa with a view to developing and promoting an innovative training programme.

Sciences Po, the Higher Institute of Management in Dakar (ISM) and the Graduate School of Development Policy and Practice (GSDPP) at the University of Cape Town (UCT) have partnered together to create LeAD Campus - Global Leaders for Africa’s Development, in response to a call for proposals issued by AfricaFrance for the creation of an innovative training programme, in Africa and for Africans. They also sought out the expertise of the CEFEB, the corporate university of the French Development Agency (AFD), backed by more than 50 years of experience in delivering training to African decision-makers and executives.

LeAD Campus - Global Leaders for Africa’s Development is a degree programme aimed at training “360-degree managers” capable of incorporating the challenges related to growth and sustainable development on the African continent into the practices of their companies and organisations.
This intensive programme, taught in both French and English, is structured around three key topics specific to Africa: Business, Leadership and Societal Challenges. The one-week sessions will be organised successively in South Africa, Dakar and Paris.
In-class training sessions will be complemented by innovative distance learning activities that combine e-learning courses, a business game and language skills enhancement.

Throughout the programme, participants will have access to a mentor with an African business background to develop their career path.

The first class of 25 participants – who will start the course in April 2016 – will be comprised of high potentials with exceptional career paths, mainly from the private sector. Men and women aged 28 to 40 years, they will reflect the African continent’s great socio-professional diversity and will come from its five major sub-regions: North, West, East, Central and South. The goal is to welcome 50 participants in following years.