Leadership in Africa: Past, Present, and Future Perspectives

Abstract

Based on a literature review, we analyse the past, present, and future characteristics of leadership in Africa. Though Africa is a very diverse continent, we identify three characteristics of leadership in Africa that resonate with each other: the concept of Ubuntu and key facets of leadership that emerged from our studies: namely, community, changing perceptions on hierarchy, and servant leadership. We identify several gaps in the literature on leadership in Africa, including few studies on civic leaders, women leaders, and youth; few descriptive studies of the interaction between leaders and followers; limited studies documenting the transformation of leadership and changing perception on hierarchy, as well as leaders’ attributes, notably of doing good and integrity. Lastly, literature on the need for and experiences with Leadership Development in Africa is very limited.