Africa demands that its leaders and managers create a society that is sustainable with plentiful resources.
Addressing the University of Stellenbosch Business School’s (USB) graduating class of 2016, its Executive Development (ED) CEO Frik Landman said the continent is filled with plentiful resources for its people to choose the kind of African society they wish to build.
The USB-ED programme focuses on creating leaders who make use of its extensive experiences to lead innovatively with transforming leadership positively on the African continent.??
Landman said: “When someone in Africa accepts the role of a manager or leader, he or she is immediately confronted with these ethical questions African society demands. The choice is ours X there is the opportunity for greatness or mediocrity.”
At the awards ceremony in Stellenbosch he told graduates, who had received certificates for completing their comprehensive programmes in the town, that Africans should choose to live in the kind of African society that is sustainable, safe and resourceful. “We should also consider being fair to those around us, care for the environment and stakeholders must respect the natural constraints we have,” Landman said.
This ethos and vision are best shared among leaders and managers to shape and lead the African social, economic and environmental landscape in a sustainable future. To transform Africa, they must dominate the social, economic and environmental landscape with sustainability in mind.
Guest speaker at the ceremony Ryan Ravens, CEO of Accelerate Cape Town, added to this notion of a sustainable Africa that education and knowledge are not the sole preserves of those who study at formal tertiary academic institutions.
“Our generation is constantly surrounded by opportunities for learning and access to information is unprecedented,” Ravens pointed out.
“A graduation is only a beginning. Do not let the person you are today define you for the rest of your life. Commit yourself every day to be a better person tomorrow.”
Ravens added one can be everything one aspires to be, although it comes at a price X “commitment, dedication and resilience”.
“For this, discipline and hard work are necessary. Also, have faith that your vision will become real,” he added.
“Also, be flexible in terms of planning and opportunities presented.”
