From Control to Value Co-creation: towards a Shared Leadership Model in Africa

It is a given that Africa is at present embroiled in leadership throes. This leadership dilemma casts a long shadow of disempowerment on the continent to develop politically as well as limits the continent to effectively co-create value and wealth. This is inextricably linked to the continent’s political leadership that is ad nauseam exclusive of the people. This is therefore a colossal impediment to Africa’s political stability as well as shared, collegial leadership. In this paper, value co-creation will be used as an umbrella word to denote continental competitive edge in global marketplace of political leadership and value creation. An overriding denominator of Africa’s leadership malaise is the leaders’ inability to involve the people in the management of state. This has left a drawn-out aftertaste of control, a euphemism for dictatorship, and has inexorably impinged on the continent’s value cocreation and development. The main thrust of this paper is: to achieve value co-creation and good political leadership on the continent, shared model of leadership is a precondition. Shared leadership is a multidirectional, collegial activity that emphasises all hands to the pump in leadership. Thus, this paper proposes this model for good leadership and governance on the African continent.