LEAD (Leadership for Environment and Development) is the world’s largest not-for-profit organization promoting leadership and sustainable development. Founded in 1991, LEAD has 13 member programmes around the world, with a fast growing network of leaders and professionals in more than 80 countries, who are inspired and committed to achieving leadership and good governance for a sustainable world. In Africa, a number of individuals from various sectors have been trained to exercise leadership in sustainable development. LEAD identifies outstanding young people across sectors and cultures, develop their leadership potential and understanding of sustainable development, and mobilize them in a network to help achieve sustainable development. LEAD Africa comprises three LEAD member programmes (LEAD Anglophone West Africa, LEAD Francophone Africa, and LEAD Southern and Eastern Africa) in 32 countries.
LEAD was founded in the run-up to the 1992 Rio Earth Summit. In June 2012 at Rio+20, LEAD returned to celebrate two decades of learning & sharing on leadership for sustainable development and discuss the challenges and opportunities faced by today’s sustainability leaders. LEAD International and LEAD Brazil hosted a number of exciting events in Rio before and during the Rio+20 Conference http://lead.org/fellows-at-rio. From a Lecture on the Challenges and Opportunities of Sustainability through a Sustainable Development Learning Course, to a series on choosing change, LEAD activities and Fellows’ events were outstanding at Rio 20102. Click link to watch a short promotion video about LEAD: http://tinyurl.com/leadvideo
The 2012 LAFP Cohort 17 Graduation Session in Malawi
The 2012 Pan African Session (PAS) of the LEAD Africa Fellowship Programme (LAFP) took place at Lilongwe – Malawi from November 12 – 15, 2012 under the theme: Population and Climate Change: Towards Climate Compatible Development for Africa. 160 (one hundred and sixty) Cohort 17 Associates/participants from Cameroon, Chad, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Malawi, Nigeria, The Gambia, Senegal, South Africa, Swaziland, Togo and Zimbabwe graduated as LEAD Fellows and joined a network of other Fellows across Africa.
The 2012 Pan African Session (PAS) of the LEAD Africa Fellowship Programme (LAFP) will take place at Lilongwe – Malawi from November 12 – 15 2012 under the theme: Population and Climate Change: Towards Climate Compatible Development for Africa. Cohort 17 Associates/participants currently undergoing training from Chad, Ghana, Malawi, Nigeria, The Gambia, Senegal, South Africa, Swaziland, Togo and Zimbabwe will graduate here and join a network of other Fellows across Africa.
For 4 days in Malawi, participants and speakers from various countries will exchange on population dynamics and Climate Change Adaptation; Climate Change Policy and Governance; Climate Change Communication and Advocacy, Financing and Investment for Climate Change and Climate compatible Development. Understanding the complex web of interconnections between population, climate change and development is key to developing innovative solutions that adapt to a changing world and reinforce the path to a sustainable future.
Lamine DIACK, LFA Senegambia Cohort 17 Mentor
The President of the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) and French/ West African 1957-1960 Long Jump record holder, Lamine DIACK is the LFA (Senegambia) Cohort 17 Mentor.
The different testimonies on the mentorship day were unanimous that Lamine DIACK is a versatile world leader and a role model exemplified by his selflessness, rigour, moral rectitude, loyalty, patriotism and respect for others - all values that the Senegambia Cohort 17 Associates should emulate to be veritable change and development agents.
The LEAD Africa Fellowship Programme (LAFP) has started Cohort 17 training in Chad, Malawi, Senegal and The Gambia. The Programme in its present form started training in 2010 with Nigeria and Senegal as pilots. Senegal hosted the Pan-African Session. In 2011, the programme rolled out to include Chad and Malawi with Nigeria hosting the Pan-African session.
For 2012, Senegal has combined with The Gambia to form the SeneGambia Cohort with training taking place in Senegal and inter-cohort events taking place in The Gambia. Malawi will host the 2012 Pan-African session in November.
LEAD Africa at COP 17/CMP 7
LEAD Africa joined participants from around the world in Durban – Republic of South Africa for the United Nations Climate Change Conference technically referred to as COP 17/CMP7. The Conference of the Parties (COP17) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the 7th Session of the Meeting of the Parties (CMP7) to the Kyoto Protocol brought together representatives of the world’s governments, international organizations and civil society from November 28 to December 9, 2011.
LEAD Africa ran an exhibition stand throughout the event (Nov 28-Dec 9) at The African Pavilion put in place by the African Union Commission, The African Development Bank and The Republic of South Africa. Prominent among exhibition material was the Bakel film titled: ‘Where we used to fish we now grow food’ and a second in a series on ‘African Leadership on Climate Change in Africa…
The LAFP graduates C16 Fellows at the Pan-African session in Abuja, September 2011
The LEAD Africa Fellowship Programme (LAFP) has just graduated Cohort 16 Fellows after they completed their training at the Pan-African Session under the theme: Renewable energy for sustainable development. The session took place from September 4-8, 2011 in Abuja-Nigeria where Associates shared experiences on national energy sector case studies in Chad, Malawi, Nigeria and Senegal and exchanged on their LEAD Associate Projects (LAPs) at a colorful eco-solutions networking fair. Another high point of the Abuja agenda was the field visits where Associates exchanged on cross-cutting environmental, socio-economic, leadership and sustainable development issues. The Cohort 16 Fellows are now part of a global LEAD Fellows network bringing change to the world.
BREAKING NEW GROUND IN LEAD
Upscaling training in partnership with LEAD National Associations
LEAD Francophone Africa, one of the three Regional Member Programmes in LEAD Africa has achieved a ground breaking experience by organizing a Cohort training in partnership with a LEAD National Association, the first time in the history of LEAD. This turning point event is within the framework of the LEAD Africa Fellowship Programme (LAFP) designed in 2009; piloted in two African locations in 2010 and rolled out across Africa in 2011.
The LAFP is currently training Cohort 16 Associates from Malawi, Tanzania, Nigeria, Senegal and Tchad. Based on their LEAD National Associations, LEAD Francophone Africa selected the LEAD Tchad National Association in 2011 to upscale the LAFP.
LEAD was founded in the run-up to the 1992 Rio Earth Summit. In June 2012 at Rio+20, LEAD returned to celebrate two decades of learning & sharing on leadership for sustainable development and discuss the challenges and opportunities faced by today’s sustainability leaders. LEAD International and LEAD Brazil hosted a number of exciting events in Rio before and during the Rio+20 Conference 
The 2012 Pan African Session (PAS) of the LEAD Africa Fellowship Programme (LAFP) will take place at Lilongwe – Malawi from November 12 – 15 2012 under the theme: Population and Climate Change: Towards Climate Compatible Development for Africa. Cohort 17 Associates/participants currently undergoing training from Chad, Ghana, Malawi, Nigeria, The Gambia, Senegal, South Africa, Swaziland, Togo and Zimbabwe will graduate here and join a network of other Fellows across Africa. 
The President of the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) and French/ West African 1957-1960 Long Jump record holder, Lamine DIACK is the LFA (Senegambia) Cohort 17 Mentor.
LEAD Africa joined participants from around the world in Durban – Republic of South Africa for the United Nations Climate Change Conference technically referred to as COP 17/CMP7. The Conference of the Parties (COP17) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the 7th Session of the Meeting of the Parties (CMP7) to the Kyoto Protocol brought together representatives of the world’s governments, international organizations and civil society from November 28 to December 9, 2011.
The LEAD Africa Fellowship Programme (LAFP) has just graduated Cohort 16 Fellows after they completed their training at the Pan-African Session under the theme: Renewable energy for sustainable development. The session took place from September 4-8, 2011 in Abuja-Nigeria where Associates shared experiences on national energy sector case studies in Chad, Malawi, Nigeria and Senegal and exchanged on their LEAD Associate Projects (LAPs) at a colorful eco-solutions networking fair. Another high point of the Abuja agenda was the field visits where Associates exchanged on cross-cutting environmental, socio-economic, leadership and sustainable development issues. The Cohort 16 Fellows are now part of a global LEAD Fellows network bringing change to the world.
