APPLY: African Centre for Leadership, Strategy & Development Leadership School (MAY, 2014-APRIL, 2015)

CALL FOR APPLICATIONS FOR 6TH SET
Do you want to become a leader and be equipped with leadership skills for transformation of organisations and society? Do you want to get the tools to become a better leader? Do you want to be a leader of leaders? Do you have a vision for leadership?

If your answer to the above questions is in the affirmative, then you are a candidate for the Centre LSD Leadership School. The school will run for a period of one year (May, 2014-April, 2015) for the sixth set of students. The first set of students graduated on 17th April, 2010. The second set graduated on 14th May, 2011. The third set graduated on 28th April 2012. The fourth set of students graduated on 21st April, 2013. The fifth set will graduate on 19th April, 2014.

At the school, there are a lot of presentations, group work, interactive sessions, coaching, mentoring and assignments to be supervised by the Faculty but physical meeting takes place every third Saturday of the month from 10.00am-2.00pm. A maximun of forty students will be admited for this session. Participation in the school is free but students are expected to buy at least ten textbooks on Leadership(not supplied by the Centre). Certificate of participation will be given to students who complete the necessary attendance (at least 70 percent) and assignments.

METHOD OF APPLICATION 
Interested candidates should send a write up on why they want to participate in the Centre LSD Leadership School and send to Ms. Ngozi Izuora, Women Rights Officer, Centre LSD (ngozi_izuora@yahoo.com and info@centrelsd.org) to reach her on or before 1st March, 2014.

BACKGROUND 
The importance of leadership for the success of organizations and nations cannot be overemphasized. Some scholars have pointed out that everything rises and falls on leadership.[i] Despite this recognition, there is scarcity of leaders all over the world. According to Myles Munroe, the world is filled with followers, supervisors and Managers but very few leaders.[ii] However, it is possible to train leaders. It has been proven that leaders can be trained to become top strategists who will be able to envision the future and help to map out strategies on how to get there.[iii] Additionally, leaders can be trained to manage for success through people, policies, programmes and principles.

The Centre LSD Leadership School is set up to train leaders by attempting to unravel the complexity of leadership and offering a framework that will help people to become great leaders.[iv] The school focuses on both leader development (expanding the capacity of individuals for effective leadership roles and processes) and leadership development (expansion of organisations’ capacity to enact basic leadership tasks including setting direction, creating alignment and maintaining commitment).[v]

At the end, we hope to produce leaders who will know how to mobilise others to get extra-ordinary things done in organisations and nations. They should now be able to transform values into actions; visions into realities; obstacles into innovations; separateness into solidarity and risks into rewards.[vi] The school is meant for people who are motivated to become leaders and want tools to become dynamic, strategic and visionary leaders that will transform organisations and nations.

ABOUT CENTRE LSD 
The African Centre for Leadership, Strategy and Development (Centre LSD) is a non-profit, non-governmental organisation established under Nigerian laws to build strategic leadership for sustainable development in Africa. The vision of Centre LSD is an African society with strategic leadership and sustainable development. The Centre’s mission is to work with forces of positive change to empower citizens to transform society. The centre is guided by the values of transparency and accountability; integrity; transformative change; feminism; diversity; dignity of the human person and Pan-Africanism.

The major focus of work is in the giant of Africa –Nigeria but the centre works across Africa with a Pan-African perspective with partners in all the sub-regions in Africa. The Centres’ strategy, programme and actions focuses on Africa with the operations being run from Nigeria partnering with organisations across Africa.

FACULTY 
The Faculty is made up of persons who have distinguished themselves as leaders and are willing to share their life and experiences backed with theory and practice of leadership. They include:

• Dr. Kole A. Shettima who hold a PhD in Political Science and currently Africa Director of MacArthur Foundation. He is an expert on human rights, reproductive health, higher education and philantropy.
• Mrs. Eugenia Abu is a well known broadcaster with a Masters degree in Communication Policy Studies. She is an author and poet. She was the winner of the Flora Nwapa price for best writing in 2008.
• Dr. Otive Igbuzor is a human rights activist, social entrepreneur, pharmacist and holds a PhD in Public Administration. He is an expert on developmnet issues. He is a fellow of the Nigerian Institute of Strategic Management.
• Hajia Amina az-Zubair OFR, straddles civil society, private sector and government and has accumulated considerable experience in leading people and managing resources. She is the immediate past Senior Special Assistant to the President on MDGs. She is presently a special advisor to the UN Secretary General on Post-2015 development agenda.
• Mr. Johnson Ikube is the Group Managing Director of Future Now Plc. He is a result oriented Entrepreneur with experiences in Manufacturing, Banking and Consulting.
• Dr(Mrs). Ejiro J. Otive Igbuzor holds a PhD in Microbiology. She is an Expert on gender issues, reproductive health and monitoring and evaluation.
• Mr. Soji Apampa is a business consultant and Executive Director of an NGO, Integrity. He has expansive experience in the private sector and in promoting corporate social responsibility. He is an author of several books.
• Mrs. Maryam Uwais is a lawyer and Women and Child rights activist. She is currently a a member of the African Committee of Experts on the rights and welfare of the child.
• Mr. Jimi Agbaje is a pharmacist, politician and manufacturer. He is very passionate about ethics, habits, professionalism and excellence.
• Ms. Amina Salihu is a Political Scientist, Gender Activist and Feminist. She has extensive experience in teaching, development work, government, advocacy and capacity building.
• Dr. Hussaini Abdu holds a PhD in political science. He is an expert in political economy with extensive experience in teaching and international development work.
• Dr. Jummai Umar-Ajijola holds a PhD in Public Administration and Policy Analysis. She has career experience with government, NGO, international development agency and private sector.

DURATION OF SCHOOL
The school runs for one year for each batch of students from May-April. Classes are held every third Saturday of the month at the Centre from 10.00am-2.00pm.