Reflecting on my term as President of the African Society of Cambridge University (ASCU)

In October 2021, I was officially given the privilege and mandate to serve as a leader of African and African-descent students (primarily postgraduates) at the University of Cambridge as President of the ASCU - African Society of Cambridge University (ASCU). I gracefully accepted the responsibility with three core priorities in mind:

1. to Learn about myself,

2. to develop my leadership skills and

3. to improve the experience and prospects of the postgraduate African community at this excellent and highly-regarded global university.

One year later, to the glory of God, my tenure as President of the ASCU - African Society of Cambridge University (ASCU) ended successfully. As I reflect on this life-changing opportunity of service, I decided to share my reflections on the three core priorities I set out at the beginning of the journey.

1. * To Learn about myself *

First, I have always known I had three unique strengths: discipline, resilience, and commitment. These strengths define my identity and, undoubtedly, translate as the foundational pillars of all my dealings. In pursuit of my “self-learn plan”, I conscientiously paid attention to my actions and inactions. This self-awareness led to the self-discovery that I am a strategist.

• * How am I a strategist? *

Firstly, I became the ASCU president after two years of horrendous disruptions caused to academic lives (and the lives outside campus) by COVID-19. Therefore, my duty was to design a new template and schema suitable for the new normal. That template required more than my core strengths of discipline, resilience, and commitment. I, therefore, submerged myself deeply into finding the necessary extra skill(s). In my pursuit, I discovered that I was an inherent strategist: I had – and still have - the skills to plan, (re)organise, and execute the best ways to achieve success even in the most challenging situations.

Chairing the successful Africa Together Conference (ATC) in 2022 made this skill stand out for me. The ATC 2022 was the first in-person ATC after two years of the COVID-19 pandemic. The 2020 ATC was cancelled, and the 2021 ATC was virtual. Therefore, I needed to define a template with a unique selling point that would explicitly show participants, speakers, sponsors, partners, and organisers the relevance and benefits of investing their resources, time, and energies in a conference during this period filled with global uncertainties.

For instance, we began the 2022 ATC fundraiser by targeting multinational corporations and international organisations. However, I quickly noticed that the financial proposal was not receiving attention from these global organisations. I, therefore, shifted gears and developed two strategic ideas. First, I recruited an additional fundraising officer with experience in “philanthropic fundraising”, which the first fundraising officer did not have. The new fundraising officer and the team designed a framework for ASCU fundraising in general and conducted fundraiser training for ASCU members. Secondly, I led a strategic meeting to redesign a new fundraising pathway that targeted homegrown African organisations that supported African youth-orientated events. The new plan led to a significant boost in the funds in less than just one month.

2. *To redefine my leadership style*

Secondly, I have been a school-based leader for as long as I can remember. My first school-based leadership position was in class 6 at age 10 when I became the girls’ prefect. Since then, I’ve always held a leadership role in any school I attended. Each leadership opportunity helped me develop critical skills for my next challenge. However, I knew being an ASCU President was a different challenge, and it was time for me to refine or elevate my leadership schema. It became evident that I thrive best as a transformational leader and manifest positive change. But from the outset, I realised that the positive or transformational leadership style alone would not work in the situation before me.

I, therefore, began to examine my weaknesses as a leader, and one of these weaknesses stood out clearly and demanded attention. I became aware that I was dogmatic in my leadership schema. I learned that I was fixated on one leadership style, and that style was ineffective in leading ASCU and my core team. With this discovery, I decided to explore the different leadership styles, situations that were suitable for each leadership style, and the strengths and weaknesses of each leadership style.

With this empowering knowledge and my knowledge of personality psychology, I began to adopt a person-centred and situational-centred leadership approach. The person-centred leadership schema defined which leadership style was suitable to lead each of my team members. The situational-centred schema identified specific leadership style(s) ideal for each situation. Although I am still representing and learning how to apply these schemas, they were meaningful tools for success during my tenure as President of ASCU. Most importantly, these were vital ingredients for team building and for problem-solving. Each problem needed a new leadership style to find the most desired solution. I can proudly state that I am no longer a dogmatic leader but an adaptable leader.

3. * To improve the experience and prospects of the postgraduate African community at the University of Cambridge *

Selflessness was the concise identity or mentality that came to mind as I reflected on this last priority. Selflessness was an effective ingredient that held together the pillars of the transformation I witnessed during my tenure as President of the African Society of Cambridge University (ASCU). My team and I selflessly dedicated our resources to making an impact, if not transform, the experiences of postgraduate African scholars at the University of Cambridge. Here are three examples of these impactful achievements.

In Michaelmas (November 2021), ASCU gathered for the first-ever All-Africa Photograph. This initiative revealed a significant presence of Africans at the University of Cambridge. We decided to present a framed picture of our All-Africa photograph to the Vice Chancellor’s Office. We used that occasion to submit an advocacy paper to the Vice-Chancellor himself, Professor Stephen John Toope, in the presence of the Senior Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Education, Professor Graham Virgo QC. This Advocacy paper outlined the measures that ASCU believes the University of Cambridge should apply to expand and improve its support for African scholars in Cambridge. The article has now become a blueprint influencing university-wide strategic support for Africans at the University. Many scholars have reported seeing critical elements of our advocacy paper being implemented.

Secondly, we have rebranded and expanded the ASCU mentorship scheme. The mentorship programme had started as a platform for offering guidance to prospective African students applying to Cambridge. The programme is now officially called The Cambridge University Africans Mentorship Programme (CAMP) and includes career and personal development programmes targeting the holistic development of African scholars. We achieved this objective through activities such as academic writing workshops and career talks. Africa’s Future Pitch Competition, whose maiden edition is part of this Conference, is one initiative that helps raise funds to support early-stage African start-ups on their first steps into the global market.

Finally, we have strengthened and expanded our relationships with organisations within Cambridge and beyond. Our new formal partners now include the University of Cambridge Museum of Archaeology & Anthropology, Cambridge Africa Business Network, and the Catholic Institute of Business and Technology (CIBT). Our long-term sponsors include the University of Cambridge Vice Chancellor’s Office, Zeepay Company Limited , Golden Palm Investments, Bantaba and Kearney - Management Consulting.

In conclusion, I accept that I have a long way to go as a leader. Still, I am certain and confident that these valuable lessons and achievements from my tenure as President of the African Society of Cambridge University (ASCU) will live with me forever. I have this abiding hope that I can build on these valuable lessons and experiences to develop into a global leader whose unique characteristics of selflessness, resilience, discipline, commitment, and strategy will be guiding strengths and practical principles throughout my journey as a leader. I am grateful to all my team members, ASCU members, distinguished speakers, mentors, partners, sponsors, family, and friends who have supported me throughout my term as President of the African Society of Cambridge University (ASCU).

My conviction is that “There is no greater value of leadership than unconditional service.” It has been my honour to serve, and I wish the new executive committee of the ASCU - African Society of Cambridge University (ASCU) a successful tenure.

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