The Systems Change Journey: African Leaders Speak

The Change-makers Pain-points in leading for systems change:
Conversations with Organizational Leaders in Africa

Taaka Awori and John Mugo

Leading civil society organizations to implement projects and programs is widely documented. However, leading organizations to drive systems change with government and other key players is a different field altogether. In the last few months, a group of twenty (20) leaders of African organizations (male and female) from Ghana, Nigeria, Kenya, and South Africa have been meeting to share their experiences, challenges and pressures in leading organizations to achieve systems change across different sectors including education, health and governance. What struck us, as process facilitators, was how similar the leadership journeys are across the sectors and countries. The leadership sessions highlighted five pain points and five lessons.