The University of Professional Studies, Accra (UPSA) has inaugurated a Centre of Excellence at a leadership symposium that deliberated on the causes of leadership deficit on the African continent. The Centre, Drolor Centre for Strategic Leadership (DCSL), was named after the Chancellor of the University, HRM Drolor Bosso Adamtey 1, who is the Centre’s sole benefactor. Giving a backgroound to the establishment of the Centre, Prof. Goski Alabi, Dean of the Graduate School of the University, noted that even though Africa is well endowed with natural resources,it has the highest proportion of poor countries in the world. “The question often asked therefore is why should a continent blessed with such abundant resources be so underdeveloped and characterised with marked poverty?” ”Prof. Mrs. Alabi, said that poverty has often been attributed to corruption, greed, dictatorship,military coups, incompetent leadership, and mismanagement. “These ineffective leadershippractices are believed to undermine Africa’s governance systems, development and culture. Africa therefore needs to change this trend, and that is partly why we are establishing the DCSL,which will provide executives, politicians and senior managers with leadership skills for leadingchange and making a difference in the 21st century.” She said. HRM Drolor Bosso Adamtey 1, who is also the Chair of the Centre, said the vision of DCSL is to be a Centre of Excellence for high level and executive leadership development in Africa for the continent’s accelerated development. Launching the Centre, the Chancellor stated that the DCSL will work towards building the capacities of existing leaders in business, politics, religion and academia, as well as groom the next generation of ethical leaders with the requisite social capital, leadership skills andcompetences for partnerships, networks, and economic development of the continent. In addition, the Centre will provide a platform for case sharing on the continent through leadership conferences, symposia, workshops and research seminars. Drolor Bosso Adamtey 1 said Africa has a great potential and will only be able to drive its owndevelopment agenda if it nurtures its youth to believe in themselves. “The Drolor Centre forStrategic Leadership is paving the way for this.” He said. Speakers at the symposium included, Rev. Prof. Emmanuel Asante, Chairman, National PeaceCouncil, who spoke on whether Ghana had confidence in the African Union (AU) in the area of strategic leadership; Prof. Agyemang Badu Akosa, a Professor of Pathology at the University of Ghana Medical School and a leading politician, gave a thought-provoking presentation on how the AU should facilitate its relationship with African leadership in terms of security, health and wealth creation or poverty reduction; H.E. Ademola Oluseyi Onafowokan, Nigerian High Commissioner, talked on the relevance of the Mo Ibrahim Award; and Fred Awaah, the Secretary General of the All Africa Students’ Union, discussed how African countries can demonstrate strategic leadership. There was the general consensus among all speakers that Ghana, and indeed Africa lacked strategic leaders to meaningfully translate its natural resources to wealth creation. “The establishment of the DCSL could not have come at a better time to contribute to the training of strategic leaders in Ghana and Africa,” concluded Rev. Prof Asante.
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