2 July 2025 - Young African Mastercard Foundation Scholars at the University of Cambridge believe that, with the right kind of leadership, Africa can be an example of positive transformation in the world – and take ownership of its own future.
CISL provides the leadership programme for the Mastercard Foundation (MCF) Scholars Programme at the University of Cambridge, based on the Leadership Capabilities for the 21st Century framework. The Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program provides master's degree opportunities to talented African students, with a focus on leadership development and sustainability in Africa.
As part of their legacy, the 2024-25 Mastercard Foundation Scholars formed small study groups to reflect on leadership from their unique perspectives from and about the African continent. The themes and supporting quotes here are taken from that project with permission.
Place matters
“Africa’s resilience is undeniable, but its sustainable future depends on bold, collective action. The shift from aid to trade, from exploitation to development, will demand more than rhetoric — it will require courage, collaboration, and an unshakeable belief in Africa’s potential”
It is easy to focus on the visible leadership actions that we see playing out on the world stage and more locally – the personalities, positions and pronouncements. Yet equally important are the ‘background conditions’ that shape desires, knowledge, and interests.[1] Place matters in leadership – the historical, social, physical, cultural and political contexts that shape how leadership is practiced and the outcomes it achieves.[2] The students explored the importance of this context – the ‘backstories’ that have shaped the African continent – before articulating new narratives for Africa, and the leadership actions and qualities needed to make these new narratives a reality.
The importance of ‘backstories’
“Africa’s geopolitical story isn’t a single narrative but a mosaic of overlapping experiences” explains one group of Mastercard Foundation Scholars. It is however a set of stories that have been strongly shaped by powerful historical and contemporary dynamics.
“Africa’s dependence on external aid and FDI is deeply rooted in its colonial legacy — an economic system designed to extract, exploit, and entrench dependency. This legacy persists through neocolonial economic structures, where power imbalances allow wealthier nations and corporations to dictate trade terms, reinforcing Africa’s structural vulnerability.”
Acknowledging these backstories is essential. Without so, we risk applying norms and ideas about leadership that simply reinforce the patterns of power and privilege that are at the root of many sustainability challenges.[3]
Changing narratives
“Africa’s geopolitical story doesn’t have to repeat itself. We can imagine something different, rooted in justice, innovation, and a more confident sense of identity.”
Change is evident as “younger generations are beginning to question and push back against long-held power structures”, shifting the idea of Africa “not just as a continent acted upon, but as one that can and should define its own terms”, explains one group of Mastercard Foundation Scholars.
New narratives look both to traditional wisdoms, such as reclaiming the narrative of ‘Ubuntu’ that speaks of the interconnectedness and shared humanity that has been part of African societies for generations, and to the future, for example transforming traditional narratives of agriculture to “showcase entrepreneurship, innovation, and impact”.
It is especially important that these stories are inclusive, emerging from the grassroots and expressed in different languages, traditions and practices.
Leadership actions
New narratives are made real by progressive leadership action. This means moving from a dynamic of dependency to that of “sustainable trade, regional alliance and self-sufficient economies” one group of Mastercard Foundation Scholars argues. Pan-African and regional collaborations will be critical for stabilising currency, strengthening financial institutions, promoting trade, and enhancing domestic industrial capacity across the continent, along with building more effective strategic partnerships globally.
“Africa needs to build relationships internationally, setting the stage where Africans have a mutual voice on global stages and can establish strategic partnerships to further build its development prospects”.
Yet it is also crucial to invest in internal capacity, prioritising equitable healthcare and educational systems that provide young people with the “skills, knowledge, and critical thinking necessary to build inclusive and innovative societies”.
Governance is critical
“Institutions must serve the people, not power, and must be rooted in integrity and public trust. Without this foundation, inclusive transformation cannot be sustained”
Equally important is reaching those facing the greatest social and economic barriers to opportunity, “empowering local people rather than exploiting them,” as one group of Mastercard Foundation Scholars was keen to emphasise. Incorporating indigenous knowledge, solutions and lived experiences ensures that interventions are “contextual and inclusive”.
Leadership qualities
What kind of leadership and what kind of leaders are needed for these new narratives and leadership actions to become a reality? This is a key question that CISL’s Leadership Capabilities Framework for the 21st Century seeks to address and was at the heart of this leadership development programme for the Mastercard Foundation Scholars. In addition, CISL’s Africa strategy is focused on leadership for a just and sustainable transformation.
“Our hope lies in leaders who embody qualities such as empathy, integrity, steadfastness, perseverance, innovation, initiative and vision. These qualities help in boldly building social trust and creating the conditions for safety, justice, equity and peace”
It is clear that critical skills in strategic planning, collaboration, advocacy and community engagement are needed, but more than that, there is a need for underpinning mindsets that see in “systems rather than looking at issues in isolation”, that are comfortable navigating uncertainty and engage in critical and creative thinking. Values and ethics are central to ensuring that leadership is inclusive and accountable:
“Appointed leaders need to demonstrate integrity and morality, making decisions that benefit the entire community rather than profit select individuals”.
What was so striking and encouraging about our time with the Mastercard Foundation Scholars was that they already demonstrated many of these qualities. We saw a willingness to sit with complexity and uncertainty, an appreciation for the diversity and difference in the room, and the willingness to listen and understand. Their contributions reflected the vibrancy and creativity of the continent, a sense of shared humanity, and hope.
“We reaffirm our collective responsibility to be resilient, to withstand uncertainty, learn from failure, and remain anchored in purpose. Africa’s challenges demand African solutions, solutions already present in our communities, our people, and our stories. And it is through collective leadership that we believe these solutions will emerge, thrive, and transform our continent.”
“Our legacy, we hope, will be in championing actions that bring this vision to reality”.
