School leadership stakeholders call for coherent policy and institutionalised leadership development in Africa

School leadership stakeholders in Africa have called for a coherent and institutionalised process for developing school leaders. The call was made during the opening session of a three-day workshop (10–12 February) in Nairobi to validate findings from the first continent-wide mapping of school leadership initiatives in Africa. The workshop was organised by the African Centre for School Leadership (ACSL) in partnership with the Kenya Education Management Institute (KEMI).

The convening brought together education leaders, policymakers, researchers, school principals, and development partners at regional and continental levels. Over three days, participants will review, refine, and validate the mapping findings while co-creating a continental roadmap to strengthen school leadership systems.

School leadership is widely recognised as a decisive lever for learning—second only to classroom teaching in its influence on learner outcomes. Research shows that effective school leaders shape what happens in classrooms by strengthening instructional quality, motivating and supporting teachers, creating a positive and safe school climate, engaging parents and communities, and ensuring the strategic use of resources to improve learning. This is why ACSL is deepening its engagement on school leadership across Africa—particularly at the secondary level, which is increasingly central to preparing young Africans for the world of work.

In his keynote address, the Director General at Kenya’s Ministry of Education, Dr. Elyas Abdi, described the workshop as timely as education systems implement sweeping reforms—from curriculum change and expanded access to digital integration and heightened demands for accountability and equity. Drawing on evidence, he emphasised that school leadership ranks second only to classroom teaching in its influence on learner outcomes, calling for a shift in mindset:

“Leadership is not a side issue. The success or failure of education reform is inseparable from the quality of leadership at the school level. School leadership must be understood not as an individual attribute, but as a system-level policy priority and a strategic public investment.”

He also framed the validation process as a strategic step toward coherence and action:

“This workshop is not a routine technical exercise. It is a critical platform for strengthening the credibility, relevance, and usefulness of the continental mapping.”

The CEO of KEMI and co-host of the workshop, Dr. Maurice Odundo, underscored the urgency of professionalising school leadership across African systems, pointing to a persistent capacity gap that undermines reform implementation at school level. He stressed that the mapping’s value depends on a rigorous validation process that strengthens its completeness and usability for decision-makers.

“Many school leaders across Africa take up leadership roles with little or no formal preparation,” he added: “Evidence is most useful when it is reviewed, contextualised, and owned by stakeholders,”

setting the tone for a collaborative, practitioner-informed dialogue.

In her opening remarks, Nuria Moreno, ACSL Programmes Manager, situated the workshop within ACSL’s broader mission to strengthen school leadership as a driver of improved teaching, learning outcomes, and learner well-being.

“Our objective is clear: build supportive school leadership systems that strengthen teaching and improve learning outcomes and well-being for all.”

She emphasised that ACSL’s theory of change focuses on system reform—aligning policy, professional development, research, and advocacy around coherent leadership pathways.

For the Mastercard Foundation, a strong base of school leadership is essential to ensuring that more young people receive the support they need to transition successfully into the world of work. Tracy Osuo, Lead for Secondary Education (Access and Success) at the Mastercard Foundation, linked the school leadership agenda to the rapid expansion of secondary education across Africa.

“Increasingly, secondary education is emerging as a key platform to the world of work for the majority of young people on the continent. Recognising secondary education as a platform to work is a paradigm shift.”

Preliminary findings: a continent-wide diagnostic

In a presentation and discussion session, the ACSL research team shared the rationale, methodology, and preliminary findings from the mapping. Key insights include:

• Evidence gaps: Research on school leadership is growing, but uneven across regions and not easily accessible to policymakers—reinforcing the need for more African-led, comparative, and longitudinal studies linked to outcomes.
• Policy gaps: Policy attention is increasing (aligned with CESA 2026–2035), but many countries still lack coherent frameworks and clear pathways from preparation to certification and progression.
• Capacity gaps: Leadership professional development is expanding, yet remains fragmented—often donor-funded and project-based—with promising blended and school-based models not fully institutionalised.
• Equity gaps: Gender and inclusion barriers persist; women remain underrepresented in leadership, and leadership in rural, marginalised, conflict-affected, and climate-vulnerable contexts is under-documented.

A key outcome of Day 1 was the deliberate use of plenary discussions and group validation sessions to test the accuracy and completeness of the preliminary mapping and to deepen recommendations. Participants contributed additional initiatives and perspectives that may not be visible through desk review alone—particularly given acknowledged limitations, including an English-language bias that can limit coverage of Francophone, Lusophone, and Maghreb contexts. Participants also reiterated the need for coherent, institutionalised policy processes that strengthen instructional leadership and support teacher development.

The opening day advanced the mapping from a research product into a more actionable, stakeholder-owned resource—strengthening its credibility and utility for governments, professional development institutions, and partners seeking to build coherent school leadership pipelines. The workshop will culminate in a co-created continental roadmap and a final validated mapping report, scheduled for publication on the ACSL website by the end of March 2026.