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with the tools, skills and capacity to be effective in their
leadership roles.
We at MASHAV, Israel’s Agency for International
Development Cooperation, have promoted, since our incep-
tion in early 1958, the centrality of the human resource,
focusing our activities on capacity-building. By placing people
at the heart of development, we view it as our mission to lead
the State of Israel’s efforts to empower those living in poverty
to improve their own lives, strengthening our commitment to
share our knowledge and experience to inspire and support
fellow nations and communities in their struggle to achieve
sustainable development and social equality.
Moreover, we consider the empowerment of women as a
critical and central component of our development policy.
Sustainable development is only possible when women
and men enjoy equal opportunities to reach their poten-
tial. Therefore the economic and political empowerment of
women should be considered as a powerful instrument for
changing women’s position in society and a most effective
way to reduce poverty.
As in many parts of the world, women in Africa face many
challenges in their pathway to leadership. These include
social and cultural barriers and traditional gender roles, as
well as the lack of access to high-level skills to support their
leadership development.
It is within this framework that the Africa Centre for
Transformative and Inclusive Leadership (ACTIL), a joint
venture between MASHAV and the United Nations Entity
for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN
Women), in partnership with Kenyatta University, was
established in 2014 in Nairobi, Kenya. ACTIL seeks to raise
transformative leaders and build the leadership competen-
cies of upcoming and existing leaders, especially women and
youth, in politics, business, government and society to drive
accelerated, equitable and sustainable development in Africa,
taking into consideration increasing challenges and complexi-
ties, influenced by both local and global developments.
By definition, transformative leadership is built on a foun-
dation of integrity and driven by self-awareness and a sense of
purpose. It is about addressing inequity, improving the lives
of others and making or influencing positive change. A trans-
formational leader has the ability to inspire people to achieve
unexpected or remarkable results.
ACTIL considers these transformative leaders ‘agents
of change’. The goal is to provide necessary skills through
professional capacity-building and mentorship, while promot-
ing innovation and social transformation to facilitate the
emergence of a regional network of Leadership Institutes,
creating high standards and, eventually, accreditation in lead-
ership development. These leaders are committed to applying
approaches that promote gender equality and women’s
empowerment in all spheres, thus creating a formidable alli-
ance of leaders in Africa who can transform politics, business
and society for the benefit of all.
MASHAV’s involvement with ACTIL commenced at the
vision stage. The founders of the newly born centre were
Image: MASHAV
Placing people at the heart of development: Head of MASHAV, Ambassador Gil Haskel, visits a MASHAV project in Kenya
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