‘African leaders are determined to deliver on their promises. Steps are being taken to end conflicts that have been raging for decades and to consolidate democracy and sound economic management.’

Whilst this statement by Professor Wiseman Nkuhlu (from his presentation at the 2002 Annual African International Studies Conference) is inspiring, a survey of the current state of affairs on the continent would indicate that these words have not yet come to full fruition. Indeed, from the escalating political instability in Zimbabwe to the re-emergence of the humanitarian crisis in Ethiopia, Africa still faces a clear leadership challenge. Moreover, as beneficial as debt relief, aid and trade are, it would seem that solid public leadership is perhaps even more of a prerequisite for sustained development in the continent.

But what should this leadership look like? While many have suggested compelling responses to this question, it can perhaps be (humbly) submitted that a new paradigm for public leadership in Africa should have, at least, the following four core characteristics: vision, industriousness, capacity and integrity.

An essential requisite for effective public leadership is the ability to cast a clear vision, based on democratic ideals, of the preferred future and then rally public support around that vision. This ability is absolutely imperative for effective public management. It stirs up hope and a recognition, within individuals and communities, of the vastness of their own potential. In this way, vision casting provides a powerful impetus for sustaining the development process. 

Vision must be met with industriousness. Public leaders should be able to translate a collective dream into tangible reality through a strong commitment to productiveness. This can be accomplished, in part, through robust policies aimed economic progress and the renewal of the work ethic. This improves development prospects by not only inducing broad changes at the macro-economic level, but also stimulating growth at the micro-economic level (indeed, it can be argued that individual productivity is the backbone of economic development).

The next key characterstic of effective public leadership is the capacity to deliver in the core management areas. Examples of the impact that this may have on the development process include: meticulous financial management that leads to transparency and accountability; strong analytic skills that allow for accurate evaluation of social and economic development policies; and knowledge of organizational dynamics and strategic management that allows for successful navigation of the turbulence caused by transition and change. 

Finally, public leaders need to demonstrate integrity. Personal commitments to values such as honesty and personal excellence must go hand-in-hand with public commitments to the principles of social justice and good governance practice. These universal ideals, enriched by contextual value systems, provide an ethical bedrock for sound public management in developing states.

It should be unequivocally stated that leadership of form described above has already been observed in Africa. Indeed, who could deny the transformative vision of Nelson Mandela, the industriousness and capacity of Kofi Anan, or the profound integrity of Archbishop Desmond Tutu? What is needed, however, is for these outstanding (and tragically rare) examples to be translated from exceptions to the norm. Indeed, a new generation of leadership in Africa, so galvanized by the ideals of vision, industriousness, capacity and integrity, may finally be able to awaken the sleeping giant that is Africa.