The Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (MCFSP-KNUST) in collaboration with the International Leadership Foundation Ghana (ILF) has organised a 2-day leadership seminar for its first- and second-year Scholars (cohorts 9 and 8 respectively) on 22nd and 23rd July 2023.
The objectives of the seminar are to help build leaders of integrity for personal and societal transformation; help leaders understand the transforming leadership paradigms; enable leaders to exercise effective leadership and bring positive change personally and in their spheres of responsibility and involvement.
In his welcome address, the Deputy Programs Manager for MCFSP at KNUST, Mr. Samuel Nash, emphasised the seminar’s significance in shaping scholars into transformational leaders, which is the core mandate of the Scholars Program. He stressed the importance of leading oneself first, as a fundamental step towards becoming effective leaders and urged the students to apply the acquired knowledge for their personal growth and the betterment of their communities.
The Director of ILF Ghana, Mr. Emmanuel Obeku, introduced scholars to ‘Transforming Leadership, Moral Vision and Building Communities/Nations and Constructing a Personal Mission Statement’. He said that self-leadership is the beginning of leading oneself and admonished the scholars to desire to have a life guided by strong personal values such as integrity among others. ‘Practice these values consciously as a way of life with determined commitment’, he stressed. Mr. Obeku also painstakingly outlined the process involved in documenting their life’s purpose, vision, and objectives which becomes their life’s Mission Statement. He urged them to reflect and edit appropriately until they were satisfied and committed to the memory of the components of their Mission Statement.
The President of WiSTEM-KNUST, Professor Mrs. Ibok Oduro took the scholars through ‘Character and Leadership and Calling of a Leader’. She emphasised that a leader’s calling leads to self-discovery and a new sense of purpose. She identified the two types of calling as General and Particular calling and encouraged the scholars to embrace their calling as leaders and to be the driving force for positive change within their communities and spheres of influence. Character, she stressed, is a vital aspect of leadership, as it shapes the ethical decision-making process and defines the leader’s credibility and integrity. She added that leaders with a high sense of calling respond to challenges in life with conviction, values, and principles. According to her, a good leader must have character, mental and moral qualities such as empathy, courage, honesty, fortitude, loyalty, good behaviour, and habits in their leadership repertoire.
Presenting on ‘Community/Team Building’, Dr. Mrs Ernestina Novieto, lecturer at the University of Ghana, revealed the importance of building a community as it brings about a sense of significance for all involved especially leaders. She also took the Scholars through Governance, Competence, and Leadership, stating that a competent leader will demonstrate ethics and integrity while performing their job, manage themselves, be able to increase self-awareness, develop adaptability, exhibit and maintain a leadership stature, and display drive and purpose.
Dr. Mrs Novieto mentioned that strong leadership contributes to effective governance by promoting accountability, transparency, interagency collaboration, shared understanding, and clear roles and responsibilities.
Other topics treated were ‘Creative Leadership and Change Leadership’. During the seminar, interactive discussions on transformation projects, group activities, and case studies were utilised to deepen the scholars’ understanding of leadership concepts. The Scholars expressed their enthusiasm and gratitude for the opportunity to learn from esteemed professionals and engage in meaningful conversations about their roles as future transformational leaders.
