While NGOs have operated in Africa for a long time, there is
a new paradigm in the industry. The social entrepreneurship sector, even though
nascent, is being embraced by many of the continent’s leaders to help fight
some of the most debilitating conditions in the continent. The social
entrepreneurship sector spans a large array of sectors, and it is hard to think
of any sector that will not be disrupted by this mode of solving the continent’s
most pressing problems.
At the South Africa based African Leadership Academy, the
school’s founders, Fred Swaniker, Chris Bradford, and Acha Leke, envision a
school that is going to create the next generation of African leaders. The
school admits some of the most gifted students from Africa and around the
world. Acceptance rates in the school are less than 5 percent. The school
relies on a large number of donors, who help educate the students. The most
needy students are awarded full scholarships, while those who can afford to pay
cough up rates that they will be comfortable with. The school’s vision is to
produce the next generation of African leaders that will push the curve in
entrepreneurship,
