Aime Patrick NTIHABOSE MD, MPH

Earlier today, ASG staff and students joined citizens and public sector representatives from @RwandaHealth and @RwandaYouthArts for Umuganda, Rwanda’s monthly community service initiative. It was a meaningful opportunity for students to move from learning about service to living it out in the community.

We’re excited to welcome our first Executive Master in Leadership and Governance (EMLG) cohort in person this week. After an eventful weekend of Umuganda and connecting with the wider ASG community, 104 students from 16 countries have begun their week-long on-site studies. So exciting to watch our community grow.

A Master’s programme can give you a qualification but the right environment can give you a different way of seeing the world. That’s what makes the Executive Master of Leadership and Governance (EMLG) distinctive. It brings together experienced leaders from across Africa, drawing on their diverse perspectives and depth of experience to explore what Africa needs and develop solutions grounded in its context. As EMLG Director @GigiNjemanze puts it: “ASG’s ambition is not just to award another degree. It is to build a community of leaders who turn bold ideas into measurable outcomes.”

Earlier today, students in our pioneer Executive Master of Leadership and Governance (EMLG) visited the Kigali Genocide Memorial to honour the lives lost during the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi. Learning this history is difficult, but necessary. For our EMLG leaders, it is also a reminder of the responsibility we carry to build a better future through good governance.

"What is it that Africa must do? Because we can paralyze ourselves through analysis, lamentations and by blaming others. So what will you do when you go back home, to your organizations and environment? Because it's block by block that Africa will be built." @ProfPLOLumumba #GemsOfHeritage

Last week we hosted over 100 participants from 16 nationalities at ASG for the first residential block of the Executive Master of Leadership and Governance, a 15-month hybrid programme. They sat with ASG faculty across a range of topics. Prof. @ProfPLOLumumba pushed them on whether we are preparing African leaders using models built for Africa. As he put it: "Other civilizations which were dominated and conquered have changed their curriculum. They have adopted and adapted. For Africa, the time is now." @Francis_Gatare, ASG President, spent some time with them and gave them tips on how one survives a course like this with a full working life. Do you recognise anyone? Send them a shout out for getting through a tough but rewarding week.