LEAD, the Africa CEO Forum’s pan-African leadership programme, has taken stock of its first cohort and announced the launch of its second class.

This comes one year after the Africa CEO Forum launched a continental initiative designed to make excellence in public governance the foundation of a new drive to transform Africa.

Built around a community of senior public decision-makers committed to modernising the state and to the continent’s digital transformation, this new class gathers for three days, from 28 to 30 August 2026, on the campus of Mohammed VI Polytechnic University (UM6P) in Rabat.

For the second class, LEAD brings together 50 fellows, senior public decision-makers engaged in the design and implementation of the continent’s economic and social policies.

Over three days, participants take part in collective and collaborative working sessions, peer exchanges, and meetings with figures from the public, business, and academic spheres to compare their practices and build shared responses to the major challenges of governance.

Speakers include Mehdi Jomaa, former Head of Government of Tunisia, Donald Kaberuka, Managing Partner & Founder, SouthBridge Group, and former President of the African Development Bank, Serge Ekue, among others.

Created by the AFRICA CEO FORUM, LEAD is a leadership programme whose ambition is to reposition Africa’s administrative elite as a driver of reform, of performance and of dialogue with all the continent’s stakeholders.