Africa Leadership Initiative

20/05/2026

ALI SA proudly celebrates 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗳 𝗧𝘂𝗹𝗶𝗼 𝗱𝗲 𝗢𝗹𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗶𝗿𝗮 (𝘊𝘭𝘢𝘴𝘴 𝘟𝘝: 𝘒𝘩𝘢𝘸𝘶𝘭𝘦𝘻𝘢) on being awarded the 𝗣𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘁'𝘀 𝗢𝗿𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝗼𝗳 𝗠𝗮𝗽𝘂𝗻𝗴𝘂𝗯𝘄𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝗚𝗼𝗹𝗱, one of South Africa’s highest national honours.

Announced by The Presidency, the award recognises Prof de Oliveira’s exceptional contribution to scientific research and public health through the identification and rapid characterisation of the Omicron variant of COVID-19. His work placed South Africa at the forefront of global genomic surveillance and helped strengthen preparedness and response efforts both locally and internationally.

In reflecting on the honour, Prof de Oliveira emphasised that this recognition belongs not to one individual, but to the many scientists, researchers and public health leaders who worked tirelessly to advance science that saves lives.

We invite you to watch this special video recognising Prof de Oliveira’s achievement and contribution. We are very proud to have Prof de Oliveira as one of our ALI SA Fellows!

𝘝𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘰 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘵𝘦𝘴𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘦𝘕𝘊𝘈.

ALI SA proudly celebrates Prof Tulio de Oliveira (Class XV: Khawuleza) on being awarded the President's Order of Mapungubwe in Gold, one of South Africa’s highest national honours.

19/03/2026

So proud of our ALI SA Fellows who are speakers and participants at the News24 annual conference discussing unemployment in SA. The target is to create 5 million jobs in 10 years. creation

27/02/2026

We’re thrilled to have welcomed Class XVI to Cape Town last night, as our new cohort of Fellows gathered for the first seminar welcome dinner to begin a powerful leadership journey together.

26/02/2026

On 29 January 2026, we gathered in Johannesburg for a vibrant welcome dinner as 𝗔𝗟𝗜 𝗦𝗔 officially introduced 𝗖𝗹𝗮𝘀𝘀 𝗫𝗩𝗜 to our fellowship community. The cohort is in Cape Town today to connect with Cape Town–based Fellows at the opening dinner, as their fellowship journey begins with the first seminar, 𝘊𝘩𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘯𝘨𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘓𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘱.

Watch the video for a glimpse of that special evening in Johannesburg.

02/10/2025

Fellows, we are ready to welcome you to the ALI Africa Impact Forum 2025: Africa The Good Society - The Power of We!

11/06/2025

We’re proud to celebrate ALI SA Fellow Joshin Raghubar’s venture/company, 𝗨𝗩𝗨 𝗔𝗳𝗿𝗶𝗰𝗮, on being named one of Africa’s Top Fastest Growing Companies by the Financial Times. This remarkable accolade recognises 25 years of building inclusive innovation ecosystems and unlocking opportunities across the continent.

Congratulations to Joshin and everyone at UVU Africa on this outstanding achievement.

Read more about this milestone:
🔗 https://tinyurl.com/2b9n5axm

26/05/2025

We're so proud of our ALI SA Fellow, Mpadi Makgalo, for being a recipient of the McNulty Foundation's Catalyst Fund award in recognition of her venture, HEAL SA.

“Heal SA is committed to eliminating the health disparities that impact youth. Our aim is to make mental wellness accessible, simple, and centred on the lived experiences of young people.”

Meet 2025 recipient: Mpadi Makgalo and HEAL SA.

As a fellow of the Africa Leadership Initiative, Mpadi established HEAL South Africa with a clear mission to address the deep mental health gaps affecting young people across the country. 💚

Learn how HEAL SA has impacted the country's mental health crisis: https://mcnultyfound.org/ideas/catalyst-fund-2025

09/05/2025

We’re proud to see our Fellow, Prof Reza Daniels, appointed as Dean of Economic and Management Sciences at Stellenbosch University with effect from 1 November 2025.

Congratulations, Reza, on this well-deserved recognition.

𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗳 𝗥𝗲𝘇𝗮 𝗗𝗮𝗻𝗶𝗲𝗹𝘀 𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗮𝘀 𝗗𝗲𝗮𝗻 𝗼𝗳 𝗘𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗼𝗺𝗶𝗰 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗠𝗮𝗻𝗮𝗴𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗦𝗰𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝘁 𝗦𝗨
We are pleased to announce the appointment of Prof Reza Daniels as the new Dean of the Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences at Stellenbosch University, effective 1 November 2025.
Prof Daniels is currently the Director of the Southern Africa Labour and Development Research Unit (SALDRU) at the University of Cape Town (UCT), and formerly served as the Director of the UCT School of Economics. He brings with him a wealth of experience in senior leadership, spanning both the higher education sector and the private sector.
SU Rector and Vice-Chancellor, Prof Deresh Ramjugernath, congratulated Prof Daniels on his appointment, expressing that he looks forward to working closely with him when he joins the SU leadership team later this year.
𝘙𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦: https://www.sun.ac.za/english/Lists/news/DispForm.aspx?ID=11278

07/11/2024

Reflecting on 30 years of democracy in South Africa, it feels like we have come full circle that 30 years later, the people of SA voted to have another Government of National Unity.

ALI SA, in partnership with the Southern Africa Labour and Development Research Unit (SALDRU), hosted our inaugural ALI SA Impact Leadership Dialogue dinner last night, discussing the topic "Reflecting on 30 years of democracy in SA - What sacred policy cows need to be revisited to unlock South Africa's potential?"

The Dialogue panel of high level speakers shared their perspectives on what policies need to be transformed to enable a positive change in the education, business, finance and industrial sectors for a thriving economy.

ALI SA Fellows engaged in the discussion by asking hard questions on how these policies translate into tangible delivery by government and its institutions, that is accountable and measurable.

The evening was also an opportunity for ALI SA Fellows to reconnect with each other and to consider their role as leaders and how they are the catalysts for change in the country.






FirstRand Empowerment Foundation

30/05/2023

At ALI, we recognise that every leader has a unique vision for the future of Africa. That's why we strive to challenge our fellows to think critically about their leadership styles and ideas and explore how these can be leveraged to build a better tomorrow.

Through our programmes, we encourage our fellows to embrace innovation and creativity and to approach challenges with an open mind and a willingness to learn. We believe that by doing so, they can unlock their full potential and drive meaningful change across the continent.