1.0 About CSAAE.
The Years of ineffective leadership, corruption, poor entrepreneurial spirit and lack of commitment to common good have led to massive poverty in Nigeria with about 87 out of 194 million Nigerians currently living on less than $1.90 a day. In order for Nigeria to make progress and ensure that its people enjoy a better quality of life, the country needs a new generation of leaders and workforce who can fast-track development and end poverty in Nigeria. With youth ages 16-35 comprising 62 percent of the population, much of the hope for Nigeria’s future lies in its young people. They are the agents of change and critical actors in building a better Nigeria.
Launched in 2013, CSAAE is dedicated to harnessing the potential of young people and providing the kinds of tools and trainings that endow them with the capacities, competencies, and character necessary to sustain themselves, create opportunities that help others sustain themselves and embrace their roles as critical actors in building a better Africa. CSAAE is registered as a non-profit organization in Nigeria and a 501(c)(3) in the United States.
The Founder, Dr. Godswill Agbagwa, a Catholic Priest and University Professor, grew up in Nigeria. While studying abroad as a college student, he was struck by the contrasts he saw between the levels of poverty and under-development in Nigeria compared to Western countries he visited. That experience became the genesis of CSAAE, its programs, and the core values at the foundation of his work, which include:
- Accountability: Accepting responsibility for one’s activities and in a transparent manner.
- Solidarity: A commitment to the common good.
- Integrity: Being honest and fair.
- Creativity: Thinking and actualizing new ideas.
- Punctuality: Being prompt and following through on commitments.
CSAAE focuses, in an integrated way, on three programmatic areas designed to channel young people into activities that develop leaders of character; cultivate a spirit of entrepreneurship; promote ethics, anti-corruption, rule of law and human rights. The Centre’s 3-year Emerging African Leaders Program (ELP) prepares youth ages 16-25 for moral leadership and good governance. Focus is on leadership positions critical to development including political, media, religious, business, and judicial leadership. Graduates of ELP form a life-time Network of Effective African Leaders (NEAL) committed to using their influential leadership positions to facilitate development and end poverty in Africa. Its Career Building and Entrepreneurship Program (CBEP) provides the kinds of trainings and extended mentoring on career direction that allows youths ages 18 – 35 land dream jobs, initiate enterprises in areas of market demand or get the education they need and contribute to the socioeconomic development of Nigeria. The Youth Ethics and Anti-Corruption Program (YEAP) is raising the consciousness of youth to the importance of transparency, accountability, respect for human rights and rule of law in the work world while teaching them how to identify, resist and fight corruption hindering development in Nigeria. Though distinct in their areas of focus, they share the common goal of creating positive social, economic and political change one youth at a time. All our programs challenge youths to seek solutions to community problems through Community Development Projects (CDPs). These CDPs evolve into mega social and business enterprises (SBEs).
2.0 ELP Application for 2019 Cohort.
- In 2013, we launched the Emerging African Leaders Program (ELP) to respond to Africa’s failure of leadership. The 3-year program is designed to channel young people into activities that develop leaders of character; cultivate a spirit of entrepreneurship; promote good governance, transparency and accountability in government; and encourage mentorship among African youths. The aim is to raise new generation of political, business, media, religious and judicial leaders endowed with the capacities, competencies and character necessary to sustain themselves, create opportunities that help others sustain themselves and embrace their roles as critical actors in building a better Africa
- Through a combination of leadership conferences, mid-year leadership portfolio summits, leadership building experiences, one-on-one mentoring, weekly webinar, monthly campus meetings, need-based scholarships, community development projects and moral development goals, emerging leaders develop the morals and skill sets that allow them to achieve sterling success, help fast-track development and end poverty in Africa.
- Upon completion of ELP, mentors evaluate progress and promote successful ELPgraduates to the Centre’s Network of Effective African Leaders (NEAL). These effective leaders are supported by CSAAE to run for offices, serve in government, initiate enterprises in areas of market demand and shape public policies. They bear on each other on good governance, mentor emerging leaders and champion social impact projects in Africa.
- ELP is FREE to successful applicants
- Click here to learn more about ELP
For 2019, we are accepting applications in the following areas:
- Emerging Political Leaders
- Emerging Judicial Leaders
- Emerging Religious Leaders
- Emerging Business Leaders (Entrepreneurs).
Eligibility: General
All applicants must meet the following criteria:
- Must be a Nigerian citizen
- Must not only have a phone or tablet that can-do WhatsApp but also must continuously have such phone or tablet and can afford to be online for our weekly online training.
- Must have the time to be online every Friday from 8pm – 10 pm for our weekly training.
- Must be able to travel to any part of Nigeria twice yearly for our Foundation Conferences and Mid-Year Leadership Portfolio Summits.
- Must be able to pass CSAAE ethics tests.
- Must be committed to the common good of Nigeria and Africa.
Eligibility for Specific Areas:
Emerging Political Leaders:
- Must not only have a firm interest in running for political office or working in government but also have a clear plan to do so.
- Must be between 16 – 21 years of age by December 1, 2019
- Must be in first or second year of undergraduate studies in a Nigerian tertiary institution
- Must be able to initiate and manage a community development project that addresses a specific social problem that one cares so much about. The project must be able to grow into a mega social enterprise after three years.
Emerging Judicial Leaders:
- Must not only have a firm interest in becoming a prominent lawyer, judge or activist but also must have clear plan to do so.
- Must be between 16 – 21 years of age by December 1, 2019
- Must be in first or second year of undergraduate law studies in a Nigerian tertiary institution
- Must be able to initiate and manage a community development project that uses legal tools to address specific community problem that one cares so much about. The project must be able to grow into a mega socio-legal enterprise after three years.
Emerging Religious Leaders
- Must not only have a passion for Catholic Social Teaching but also have clear plan to implement it in one’s parish.
- Must be a Catholic Senior Seminarian in the first year of theological studies.
- Must be able to initiate and manage a faith-based community development project that addresses specific community problem that one cares so much about. The project must be able to grow into a mega faith-based enterprise after three years.
Emerging Business Leaders/Entrepreneurs
- Must not only have a passion for Entrepreneurship but also have clear enterprise or business idea that can spring into a multi-million-naira enterprise in few years.
- Must be an undergraduate
- Must be between 16 – 21 years of age by December 1, 2019
- Must be in first or second year of undergraduate law studies in a Nigerian tertiary institution
A few more things you need to know about the program:
- Only a few people are selected annually for each program area
- Each program area has two phases: The first phase is the grooming stage which lasts for three-years. Those who make it through this first phase are accepted into the lifetime phase.
- All selected applicants will be on probation for 6 months. Within this period, they will not be entitled to any benefit at the Centre besides the training. After six months they may now be entitled to:
- Need-based scholarship
- Technical and financial support of community development project
- Merit-based leadership building experience at home or abroad
- A personal mentor, most of whom are based in the U.S.
- Need-based transportation reimbursement for conferences and summits.
- Free website and email address.
- Free accommodation, feeding and transportation for conferences and summits
- All selected applicants will be inducted into the program at the Centre’s 2019 three-day Foundation Conference and Impact Dinner holding on November 22, 2019 in Abuja. The Centre will provide accommodation and feeding but the selected applicant will transport him or herself to Abuja for this first time. Centre will support subsequent trips.
If you meet the above criteria and consent to the stipulations above, you can go ahead and complete the application form below.
Deadline for application is September 30, 2019. Orientation for selected applicants will start on November 1, 2019. Induction is on November 21, 2019 in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.
Only selected applicants will be notified.
CSAAE does not discriminate on gender, ethnicity, State-of-Origin or religion. If you still have questions concerning the application process, please call 08168184714 or email: info@csaaeinc.org
To apply fill the form below:
