Murtala Issah
Despite being endowed with natural resources, Africa has struggled to develop as millions of its citizens continue to wallow in poverty. Many scholars have attributed the challenges facing Africa to poor leadership and have called for more efforts to improve the quality of leadership on the continent.
This call was echoed by the Managing Director of the Bank of Eswatini, Queen Nozizwe Mulela at a Press conference ahead of the 7th Leadership Lecture Series hosted by the University for Development Studies.
According to her, there is the urgent need to simplify the concept of leadership for the youth of Africa. She noted that empowering young people with accessible leadership principles is crucial for ushering in a new era of development across the continent.
Queen Nozizwe Mulela, a strong advocate for youth engagement and development in Africa, pointed out that traditional notions of leadership often appear complex and intimidating to younger generations.
The University for Development Studies African Leadership Lecture Series started in 2013 with former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo.
Other former Presidents who have featured in the annual are; former Presidents, Festus Mogae of Botswana, Joachim Chisano of Mozambique, Hifikepunye Lucas Pohamba of Namibia, Benjamin William Nkapa of Tanzania, Pedro Verona Rodrigues Pirez of Cape Verde and the late Jerry John Rawlings of Ghana. The outbreak of COVID-19 temporarily truncated the yearly programme.
Queen Nozizwe is the first speaker to speak in the post COVID-19 era. She is also the first female and non President to speak in the series. The Press conference afforded her provided the opportunity for the Queen to answer some questions and set the tone for the lecture later today. She will be on the theme: “Ethical and Transformative leadership for sustainable development.”
Queen Nozizwe used the opportunity to challenge Africans to embrace their culture and shake off the colonial hangover.
