Multi-donor pooled funding agency, Star-Ghana has completed a 10-month leadership training programme for 26 participants selected from Civil Society Organisations in Ghana.

The pilot programme is aimed at training and developing leaders capable of effecting positive change within their places of work and their communities.

The 10 month training program under the modules “Leading Self, Leading Others, Leading the  Organization”, had 3 Leadership Workshops, where the participants were taken through a series of interactive training and knowledge sharing sessions coupled with group tasks and individual assignments.

Interspersed with the Leadership Workshops were Coaching Sessions where each participant was assigned a coach throughout the 10 months period and Learning Circles where the participants were put into groups of 3-5 to meet on a regular basis to share learnings and experiences on their leadership development journey.

Outlining his learnings and shifts after the Leadership Training Institute, Martin Ankrah of Global Media Alliance stated that the program has been very helpful.

“I am now fully aware of my emotions and triggers. Instead of blaming others and circumstances for my feelings, I now own them and decide what to allow in and what not to. Knowing myself has enlightened me further on abilities", he said.

He adds that he now knows "that Leadership is not the position that one holds but rather, one’s ability to influence change within the organization by first knowing self and knowing others well enough to tap into their positive feelings and emotions.”

Programs Manager of STAR-Ghana, Mr. Ibrahim-Tanko Amidu expressed delight at the successful completion of the Leadership Development Program.

He noted that to effect the change we need in our communities we need leaders who can mobilize citizens to work together for a common good. He further stated that supporting the training and development of ‘infectious’ leaders in Ghana and Africa has been his dream and he is excited that the pilot has been a success.

He challenged participants to ensure that they pass on the knowledge acquired to others and become first 26 disciples of good leadership in Ghana. He further urged them to go beyond their organizations and influence change within their homes and communities.     

Speaking on behalf of BUSARA Group, the facilitators of the Leadership Development Program, Taaka Awori expressed her satisfaction at the obvious changes in the participants’ attitude towards themselves and their approach in dealing with others. She also expressed her joy at the results of the final feedback obtained from the direct reports and supervisors of the participants, which indicated a lot of improvements, compared to what was obtained before the start of the program.

She was happy about the impact of the training sessions so far and hopeful of greater results from the participants in their future endeavours.  She stressed the need for participants to continue with the Learning Circles and encourage the participation of others for effective knowledge sharing and transfer.

Leadership has been identified as the biggest challenge to Africa’s development. The continent of Africa is blessed with many natural resources and skilled labour which when harnessed by good leadership can elevate it from the pit of poverty, war and the numerous challenges into a mountain of abundance, peace and development.

However, this is far from the case as all evidence have pointed to the fact that the continent of which Ghana is a force to reckon with, is in dire need of leaders to turn its fortunes around.  This leadership deficit challenge would have been resolved if the schools had consciously included the subject in their curriculum. But this is not the case.

It is against this backdrop that STAR-Ghana, a multi- donor pooled funding mechanism (Funded by DFID, DANIDA, EU and USAID), in its quest to help address the leadership deficit problem in Ghana piloted a Leadership Development Program.