African Leadership Academy (ALA) is a pan-African institution founded in 2008 with a bold mission: to transform Africa by identifying, developing, and connecting the continent's most promising young leaders. Based on the belief that leadership is the greatest lever for transforming societies, ALA searches across Africa for youth who show the spark of initiative — those who see what can be and strive to make it so.

Since its founding, ALA has enrolled over 1,800 students from 47 African countries, selected from more than 43,000 applicants, with 95% of students receiving financial assistance. Through its programs, young people build leadership through practice, grounded in academic rigor and entrepreneurial thinking, guided by five founding beliefs: addressing the root causes of problems, the power of one, the power of youth, the need for pan-African cooperation, and entrepreneurship as the foundation of growth.

ALA's impact speaks for itself: 78% of graduates are actively engaged in work or projects across Africa, and its alumni have earned over $270 million in university scholarships worldwide. Through initiatives like BUILD-in-a-Box, ALA extends its leadership and entrepreneurship training to young changemakers across the continent — empowering them to turn ideas into impact in their own communities.