Corporate Leaders Program Connects, Inspires, and Equips African Executives

The Presidential Precinct’s 2025 Corporate Leaders Program brought together 12 founders, innovators, and executives from across Africa and the African Diaspora for a weeklong custom executive leadership masterclass at the University of Virginia’s Darden School of Business.

Fellows included Adhan Abdullahi (Kenya), Hery Zo Andriamiarana (Madagascar), Joycee Awosika (Nigeria and the U.S.), AlaSan Ceesay (Gambi and the UK), Ehime Eigbe (Nigeria), Kikelomo Fola-Ogunniya (Nigeria), Tlamelo Cindy Melemo (Botswana), Chilufya Mutale-Mwila (Zambia), Benard Odote (Kenya), Funke Ogunde (Nigeria), Ifedolapo Runsewe (Nigeria), and Joël Sikam (Cameroon). (You can read more about the fellows and their businesses here.)

We’re grateful to Darden’s Institute for Business in Society for their collaboration on this program, as well as to the faculty and staff who made the week such a rich learning experience for our fellows. The fellows learned from Lauren Kaufmann (Values and Value: Introduction to Ethical Reasoning in Business), Sean Martin (Leadership), Precinct Board member François Baird (Executive Communication), Martin Davidson (Leverage Difference To Achieve Your Mission), Vidya Mani (Critical & Transition Minerals: Supply Chains and ESG), Leigh Ann Carver (Strengths for Leadership), and Saras Sarasvathy (Business Effectuation).

On Thursday afternoon, fellows attended a networking lunch with the Darden African Business Organization (DABO), an active group of emerging business leaders who recently hosted Africa Week at Darden. More than 30% of Darden’s student body is made up of international students. Lively conversations around the room continued until past the official ending time.

One of the highlights of Precinct programs is the opportunities to engage with the local community outside of academic sessions. This week our cohort visited the newly opened BEACON Kitchen, a venture of Charlottesville’s New Hill Development. New Hill’s CEO, Yolunda Harrell, led the group on a tour of the facility, a “shared-use commercial kitchen located in the heart of Charlottesville for aspiring chefs, established food brands, and everyone in between.”

Community connections, this one arranged by the Community Investment Collaborative, often spark rich collaborations and new solutions. Benard Odote, Group CEO of House of Procurement, found a link between BEACON Kitchen’s model and foodservice problems at home. “The central kitchen is already an issue we have in Kenya: to move schools from cooking with firewood to gas. We’re thinking the central kitchen is probably the solution. That’s the power of the Presidential Precinct. We were there, and we were thinking, ‘Aha! This could work, not only for schools but for restaurants and small businesses.’”

The week closed with a celebratory luncheon hosted by WillowTree at their Charlottesville headquarters. Fellows shared memories, ambitions, and tears. 

Kikelomo Fola-Ogguniya, co-founder of the logistics company Cargoplug, offered closing thoughts: “To my other founders, I want to congratulate and thank you… I know we are all returning to our home countries as refined leaders, intentional leaders.”

The fellows went their separate ways to implement the lessons learned this week, but they will reunite in June for the U.S.- Africa Business Summit in Angola, hosted by Corporate Council on Africa. Three of the fellows have been selected for a panel discussion called “Africaneurship,” moderated by the Precinct’s President & CEO, Toyosi Ogunseye.

This year’s program was once again sponsored by Axxess.