by the We Will Lead Africa Founders
Launching We Will Lead Africa (WWLA) was never just a project—it was a response to a deep, shared call. It began with a moment of resonance, a five-minute interaction between three leadership and organisational development practitioners that sparked something profound. That spark grew into a platform, a community, and now a movement that continues to evolve organically, driven by intention, emergence, and a commitment to appreciative storytelling.
Answering the call
The journey began with a question: What does African leadership look like when viewed through an appreciative lens? We—Yabome, Judith, and Sarah—were at a conference and exhausted by the tired narratives of Africans and Blackness. We were already exploring the complexities of African leadership in our own ways. In fact, each of us were facilitating workshops that challenged Western stereotypes of African leadership, knowledge systems, and ways of being. Two of us were using the media narratives surrounding the Ebola epidemic to confront negative, ingrained narratives which would have never been used in other contexts of complex, systemic crises. So when we asked ourselves that question, it met fertile ground in each of us. The call was not just intellectual; it was deeply personal. It was about reclaiming visibility for the parts of our African and human identities that had been denied space in our professional and academic discourse.
One of the eight question prompts we routinely ask our WWLA storytellers, after exploring what motivates and inspires them to work on the challenge or opportunity they are leading, is: What did you do, and how did you do it?
When we explored this question in relation to WWLA, our what and how came down to four things:
- Working remotely before it was commonplace
Long before remote collaboration became the norm, we were meeting online—on Skype and Hangouts—figuring out how to bring our vision to life and curating stories. We spent a year in virtual meetings and asynchronous work before meeting again in person. When we did, it was to launch Volume One on Africa Day 2017, in Johannesburg. This early commitment laid the foundation for a structure that was both intentional and emergent.
- The power of three
One of the unique strengths of our collaboration is the fact that we are three. From the start, this triad created a dynamic tension and diversity of perspectives that went beyond binary debates. It allowed for intellectual richness, emotional support, and practical continuity. Like geese flying in formation, when one of us needed to rest, the others carried the momentum forward.
It also honoured the African governance concepts of the village circle with the panel of leaders (actually elders, though we are still claiming our youthfulness!), who deliberate on issues and make decisions. We truly modelled this through our shared leadership and co-creation practices. It is notable that, even in Western science, the triangle is the strongest and most durable shape in geometry.
- Storytelling as transformation
Our approach centred on storytelling—not just as a method, but as a transformative, Afrocentric experience. Contributors to our volumes often shared how writing their stories led to healing, growth, and a deeper understanding of their leadership journeys. We, too, experienced this transformation.
The stories we gathered were not just content; they were catalysts for change and inspiration. And ensuring that real and rich stories of African leadership were documented—told through an honest, but appreciative lens—contributed to a powerful narrative about who we are and can be.
- Emergence over strategy
Despite each of us having the skills to create strategic plans and business models, we found that every attempt to formalise our work in traditional ways felt static and misaligned. What worked was staying open and responsive. We didn’t start with a business plan or a market strategy. Instead, we started with shared values, a vision, and a willingness to explore. We followed the energy, the stories, and the needs of our community.
This approach has defied conventional funding models and resisted commodification, and we are content with this for now. This work is not one of our consultancy practices—it is a movement. And we are clear-eyed about the reality that we are uplifting African leadership and wisdom, which has not been seen as valuable. Instead, the systems around us are perfectly designed to exclude African leaders and African leadership from visibility in our world systems, especially accounts that defy flattening and are positive in nature.
This is precisely why we persevere.
So what did we do, and how did we do it?
We did it because we needed it, personally and individually. We needed to uplift the wholeness and humanity of who we are as African leaders. And once we saw how others responded—how they, too, needed it—we couldn’t stop.
We were creating space for African leadership narratives that are generous, complex, and inspiring. We were amplifying voices that had long been marginalised, and in doing so, we were reclaiming our own.
What we did
- Created volumes of stories showcasing African leadership through an appreciative lens
- Built a platform that continues to grow organically, sustained by community and intention
- Facilitated healing and transformation through storytelling, including hosting storytelling and writing circles through the Griot Masterclasses and volumes
- Built partnerships of co-editors and volume curators that have resulted in six WWLA volumes, and 180 contributions collected
- Resisted traditional models of organisational growth.
How we did it
- Through consistent virtual collaboration, before it was mainstream
- By leaning into our diverse strengths and shared identity as global Africans
- With a commitment to intention and openness to emergence
- By creating a space where stories could be told, heard, and honoured
- By staying true to our values, even when it meant going against the grain
- Through a sisterhood that balanced vision, pragmatism, and emotional support
Technically, this is what we did and how we are doing it, but beyond this, through the stories of everyday African leadership, we are saving ourselves. WWLA volumes are not just books of stories—they are living, breathing spaces of transformation. We followed a call, and we continue to go where it leads.