He said though African countries have identified poor leadership as the bane to their development, it has failed to address that; something he said has resulted in “avoidable and social tragedies”.
“In every discussion on the development of Africa, the issue of leadership is fingered. It has almost become a cliché to cite countries like Malaysia, Singapore, and even Rwanda, as examples of where leadership has made a difference as against African countries who are still struggling under poor leadership,” he said.
Mr Ayim said this at a news conference in Accra to announce an upcoming leadership conference dubbed Live2Lead by the renowned leadership expert, John Maxwell in Atlanta in the United States, which will be streamed live to Ghanaians at the College of Physicians and Surgeons in Accra.
“If leadership is recognised as the problem, for so long, why are we not able to fix it with all the intellectual and financial resources at our disposal?” he asked.
The October 6 Live2Lead conference will feature four renowned world class speakers and leaders to address different aspects of leadership concept and to equip participants to lead and create change with renewed passion and drive.
It is being spearheaded in Ghana by Centre for Transformational Leadership Africa ( CTL- Africa).
“The purpose of the conference is to share participants some of the new thinking, experiences and the ideas of leadership that will help us as a nation and as a people to improve our development and our lives,” Mr Ayim stated.
Mr Ayim, who is also a certified leadership coach, underscored the need to redefine leadership concept in Africa to inculcate that into our national values through a new educational curriculum.
He argued that the problem is deeper than “merely fingering leadership”, adding it lies in the very definition Africans put on leadership.
“The reason we want to bring this programme to Ghana is that the concept of leadership that we have as a people, particularly in Africa, is based on a certain position; [that] somebody holding a position to which we should ascribe all the benefit, powers and authority,” he said.
But Mr Ayim explained leadership is not about position “but the way you positively influence other people, the way you add value to other people”.
The key resource person of the conference, John Maxwell who has written and taught for years, holds that the true meaning of leadership is influence and the highest purpose of leadership is to add value to others.
“True leaders do not serve their own personal interest. True leaders make a difference in their societies and in the lives of their people,” he said.
He added: “true leaders aim to change the circumstance of their communities for the better”.
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