A central element of this year’s YouLead Summit was the Leadership Clinic that focused on preparing the next generation of leaders to shape the Africa they aspire to build. It was created in partnership with MS TCDC, Danida Fellowship Centre and the Mawazo Institute.
By Vibeke Quaade
It was the fourth day of YouLead Africa 2026. The midday sun was high in the sky, but it did not lower the energy levels of the 300 youth participants who were sitting in the shade of the large tent that had been set up for the occasion in the garden at MS TCDC. Three days of speeches, workshops and networking had warmed them up and whatever inhibitions they had brought with them had melted away. Those who had arrived as strangers now greeted one another warmly and engaged in conversations that flowed easily. Discussions on topics many had never imagined exploring before reflected both the depth and relevance of the programme, and the connections it had created.
Intergenerational dialogue
A group of seven seniors and already accomplished leaders from Danida Fellowship Centre and MS TCDC’s network of women in research and management took part alongside the young delegates. They had come to strengthen the intergenerational dialogue by sharing their experience and exchanging views with the younger group on how to break down barriers and shape the future.
Just before midday, the seniors took the stage. As facilitators in the Leadership Clinic, they were there to speak about leadership and to inspire the next generation.
At first, there was a sense of anticipation, perhaps even nervousness, among the senior group on stage and the young participants on how the session would pan out. But as soon as the seniors started sharing their lived experiences on how they had got to where they were, the atmosphere shifted. Again, everyone in the room became fully involved, attentive, and ready for the Leadership Clinic.
Watch the two cases:
My mentorship journey
Dr Lanoi Maloyi, University of Nairobi
My networking journey
Nankya Oliver, Project Officer, Caritas Uganda.
Key elements of leadership
At its core, the Leadership Clinic emphasised that leadership is complex, but it can be learned and developed. Leadership is neither an innate talent nor a standalone discipline. Instead, it is multi-faceted and shaped by a range of interconnected skills and experiences.
Networks are a key element, not only the building of a network, or having a network, but giving-and-taking in ways that benefit all partners. Having peers is as important, if not more important, than seeing networks and networking as means to move upwards. Mentorship, another important factor, shows how learning and leading together is for real, and again here the role one plays as a leader in a mentorship situation is key.
Video 1. Leadership is neither an innate talent nor a standalone discipline. Instead, it is multi-faceted and shaped by a range of interconnected skills and experiences. Leadership is a skill that can be learned and developed, or rather a set off skills. Take a listen - here is what experienced leaders from the wider network of MS TCDC, Danida Fellowship Centre and Mawazo Institute say.
Video 2. Identify the leadership within you
Video 3. Mentorship as part of leadership
Video 4. Networks are key in leadership.
Video 5. Develop your leadership philosophy.
From plenum to workshop
The activities took place in two settings. A plenary session was held in the main tent where reflection and Q&A followed the lived cases and experiences shared. It was followed by a smaller, focused workshop discussions held on a nearby hillside in the shade of palm trees. Across both spaces, leadership was consistently framed not as a position, but as a process.
Participants explored career development, mentorship, networking and leadership identity, combining practical tools with personal reflection on long-term goals and values.
The background for holding the Leadership Clinic
The Leadership Clinic at YouLead this year built on last year’s mentorship work for aspiring women academics. As already mentioned, this year it was expanded to include a broader group of participants and facilitators from Danida Fellowship Centre and MS TCDC’s network of women in research and women in management, reinforcing leadership as a shared and evolving practice.
YouLead Africa 2026 stood out as a platform where young and senior leaders met not only to discuss leadership, but to practise it together across generations.
The Leadership Clinic was planned and implemented in partnership with Danida Fellowship Centre, MS TCDC and Mawazo Institute. It was facilitated by Dr Milcah Abasabyona, Dr Lanoi Maloiy, Dr Gifty Sunkwa-Mills, Dr Irene Lugalla, Executive Director Mercy Wanjiru Mwangi, Country Manager Lydia Mukoda and Gender Focal Person Oliver Nankya.
Read the July 2026 newsletter about the Together for Impact partnership between MS TCDC and Danida Fellowship Centre.
