Africa Leadership Accelerator
Overview
Global Health Corps’ Africa Leadership Accelerator is a 9-month, hybrid program designed to strengthen the leadership and management skills of early to mid-career health professionals working across Sub-Saharan Africa.
Read on to learn more about the Africa Leadership Accelerator. We look forward to introducing our inaugural cohort of young professionals in Malawi, Rwanda, Uganda, and Zambia in October 2024. Stay tuned!
Learn more about eligibility and the application process here.
The Opportunity
For young African professionals working in health:
Traditional universities and on-the-job training fall short in providing skill-building, coaching, and mentorship for developing critical leadership and management skills for young professionals in the health sector. In the wake of COVID-19, burnout among health workers is at an all-time high in Sub-Saharan Africa. At GHC, we’ve seen that coaching, mentorship, a supportive network of peers and advisors, and opportunities to reflect and process are proven to bolster the resilience of young public health leaders. This new hybrid program is an opportunity for those seeking professional development to gain the support they need to thrive in their careers long-term.
For organizations:
Sharpening leadership and management capacity – including critical thinking and problem-solving – can strengthen efficiency and quality at the individual, team, and organizational levels, in turn significantly improving program outcomes. Bolstering the capacities of early- to mid-career professionals — who will rise into roles of greater responsibility over teams, budgets, and initiatives — can generate serious return on investment for years to come. The Africa Leadership Accelerator provides an opportunity for organizational leaders to nominate exceptional high-potential team members to benefit from extensive leadership and professional development. Throughout the program, fellows will work in tandem with their supervisors and GHC staff to design projects that will benefit their work streams within the organization.
For communities:
Focused investment in talent is a key lever for amplifying the impact of health organizations in Sub-Saharan Africa. However, these critical 21st-century leadership and management skills such as adaptability, flexibility, effective collaboration, trust building, decision making, and navigating change must be intentionally honed early and often throughout young professionals’ careers. Emerging professionals from underrepresented backgrounds—including those from lower and middle-income countries and women, who hold just 5-25% of global health leadership roles depending on where they’re from—are often hindered from advancing their careers by bias, micro-aggressions, and lack of support. With more inclusive, proximate, and effective leadership at the helm, we can accelerate progress towards health equity.
GHC’s Africa Leadership Accelerator is a 9-month, hybrid program designed to strengthen the leadership and management skills of early to mid-career health professionals, ages 21-35, with a focus on supporting majority-female cohorts given the persistent gender gap in global health leadership. The program fills a critical gap in Sub-Saharan Africa, where young professionals are passionate about driving progress in health abound.
Rising public health leaders who engage in GHC’s 9-month accelerator will access:
Bespoke Leadership Training
Fellows build community; sharpen their leadership skills; deepen self-awareness and resiliency; and amplify their impact by participating in GHC trainings. Fellows receive executive coaching and training, Monthly Virtual Learning Workshops, access to influential speakers, networking opportunities, and GHC staff coaching and support to work through personal and professional challenges.
BY THE NUMBERS:
hours of trainings – on topics including effectively managing people, projects, and budgets, collaborative decision making & problem solving, change navigation, and leading with a globally minded, locally rooted perspective – designed and facilitated exclusively for GHC fellows
Coaching & Mentorship Offerings
As a part of the fellowship, fellows will be matched with executive coaches and professional advisors from GHC’s network to sharpen their leadership skills and public health skills. Additionally, fellows will be supported by mentors within GHC’s alumni network and GHC’s staff for additional professional development.
BY THE NUMBERS:
of GHC alumni now hold mid- to senior-level decision-making roles
Raising Voices for Change
Effective global health leaders inspire and mobilize others. GHC trains fellows in leadership storytelling and public narrative and provides coaching and access to speaking and writing opportunities.
BY THE NUMBERS:
fellows have published their perspectives on GHC’s AMPLIFY publication to date
Integrating into GHC’s Collective Leadership Community
Fellows access community wisdom, resources, and exclusive programming via GHC’s digital community portal. Equipped with more confidence, sharper skills, and a stronger network, fellows transition to our alumni community at the close of their fellowship year where they’ll gain life-long access to GHC’s robust alumni programming.
BY THE NUMBERS:
GHC alumni are advancing health equity and social justice across their communities and countries in Sub-Saharan Africa
Cultivating a Global Perspective
Addressing health disparities in Sub-Saharan Africa requires adopting a global health perspective. That means embracing the interconnectedness of health systems and equity issues across borders, developing collaborative relationships with colleagues around the world, and building on the research and innovations of leaders regardless of their nationality. Fellows in Africa will engage with U.S. fellows and global alumni throughout the year, through shared workshops and small group discussions, as well as opportunities for joint projects, extending their access to new ideas, perspectives and relationships.
BY THE NUMBERS:
of GHC alumni report that their engagement with GHC improved their understanding of diversity, equity, and inclusion
