From Learning to Leadership: Reflections from the EPLAN Gathering in Liberia
EPL Fellows and Alumni from Ghana, Liberia and Seirra Leone.
The theme said it all: From Learning to Leadership.
Those four words framed every conversation, every session, and every shared moment at the Emerging Public Leaders Alumni Network (EPLAN) gathering held in Liberia from 2nd to 3rd June 2026. And by the end of two remarkable days, it was clear that the theme was not merely a slogan. It was a lived reality for everyone in that room.
The Significance of the Gathering
Attending the EPLAN gathering as a Ghanaian alumnus was one of the most affirming experiences of my public service journey, not because it was glamorous, but because it was honest.
Gathered in one space were leaders from Ghana, Liberia, Malawi, Sierra Leone, and Kenya. Different countries, different contexts yet united by something deeper — a shared conviction that public service is a calling, and that leadership, done well, can transform lives.
What made this gathering distinctive was not the agenda on paper. It was the people in the room.
The Power of Seeing What Is Possible
Seated around me were alumni who have gone on to serve as Ministers, Deputy Ministers, Chairs of Public Service Commissions, and heads of key public institutions across the continent.
For a moment, I simply observed.
I watched leaders who once sat where I now sit, early in their careers, full of questions, navigating the complexities of public service, now shaping national policy, leading institutions, and mentoring the next generation of public servants.
It was quietly profound.
Their journeys carried a message that no keynote speech could have delivered more powerfully: leadership is not cultivated by accident. It is learned. It is mentored. It is practiced in the small, unglamorous moments long before it is visible in the high-profile ones. And it is refined, continuously, through service.
What struck me most was not their titles. It was their stories.
Stories of young people who were given the right opportunities at the right time. Who were surrounded by the right networks. Who were shaped by values that grounded them when the pressure of public life could easily have pulled them off course. And who went on to transform the public institutions they were entrusted to serve.
Why This Work Matters
There is a narrative that persists across our continent, that young people are not ready to lead, that experience must be measured in decades, and that meaningful leadership is a destination reserved for later in life.
EPLAN quietly dismantles that narrative, one fellow at a time.
The alumni I met in Liberia are living proof that when young people are intentionally developed, connected to networks, grounded in values, and challenged to grow — they do not simply become good leaders eventually. They become exceptional leaders now.
Africa's future will not be determined by the magnitude of the challenges we face. Every generation has faced enormous challenges. What will determine our future is the quality of the leaders we are developing to address those challenges.
And here is what I know to be true: the leaders we hope to see tomorrow are already being developed today.
Acknowledging Those Who Made It Possible
Gatherings like this do not happen by chance. They happen because organisations choose to believe in young people long before the world is ready to celebrate them.
I want to take a moment to acknowledge Emerging Public Leaders and the Mastercard Foundation for their vision, commitment, and investment in making the EPLAN gathering possible.
Emerging Public Leaders has built something rare, a programme that does not simply train young people and send them on their way. It builds a community of practice, a network of accountability, and a culture of servant leadership that follows fellows long after their fellowship year ends. The alumni in that room in Liberia were not just products of a programme. They were products of a deliberate, sustained investment in who they could become. And it deserves to be acknowledged.
To both organizations: the fruit of your investment was visible in every conversation, every testimony, and every leader present in Liberia from 2nd to 3rd June 2026. Thank you.
An Invitation to Invest
To every institution, government, civil society organization, and individual who pours resources, time, and belief into young people, this gathering was evidence that your investment is already bearing fruit.
Youth leadership development is not a charitable gesture. It is not a box to tick in a strategic plan. It is one of the most consequential investments any society can make in its own future.
When we create intentional pathways for young people to learn, lead, and serve, we are not just developing individuals. We are building the institutions, policies, and public culture that will define Africa for generations to come.
The work of EPLAN and programmes like it deserves to be celebrated, strengthened, and expanded — because the return on that investment is not measured in project reports. It is measured in the leaders who show up, years later, to transform their nations.
Final Reflections
As young people are equipped with the right skills, surrounded by the right mentors, connected to the right networks, and grounded in the right values — something extraordinary becomes possible.
Not someday. Now.
I left Liberia encouraged, energised, and more committed than ever to the work of public service. I hope this reflection encourages you, whether you are a young leader still finding your footing, or a senior leader with the power to open doors to recognise that investing in the next generation is not a favour. It is a responsibility and one that history will hold us accountable for.
