African Management Institute

What does it take to move from having an idea for change to actually influencing the people and systems that can make it happen?

For young advocates working across agriculture, climate action and food systems, the challenge is not only identifying what needs to change. It is building an advocacy initiative that can make the case clearly, mobilise the right people, and move decision-makers to act.

That is the focus of CAYACC Masterclass 9, the final session in the Advocacy Masterclass Series. Participants will bring their Change Challenges to the finish line—sharpening their advocacy pitch, strengthening their call to action, and preparing to engage potential changemakers, partners and decision-makers.

The shift is from ideas to influence. Advocacy creates lasting change when a clear case for action is translated into a focused initiative that can engage the people and systems with the power to respond.

📅 Wednesday, 26 August 2026
🕓 4:00 p.m. EAT | 3:00 p.m. CAT/SAT | 2:00 p.m. WAT | 1:00 p.m. GMT

This is the final masterclass in the series. Don’t miss the opportunity to take your advocacy from action to lasting change. Registration link in the comments.

If your team needs permission before making every meaningful decision, are they really accountable—or simply compliant?

That question shifted the conversation during the second series of our Leadership Conversations because it exposed one of the biggest contradictions inside growing organisations. Leaders often expect people to own outcomes while withholding the authority needed to influence them. Responsibility is delegated. Decision-making isn't. The result is predictable: capable people become cautious, initiative slows, and leaders mistake hesitation for a lack of ownership.

The discussion challenged leaders to rethink accountability as more than performance management. Accountability is the product of three things working together: clear expectations, clearly defined decision boundaries, and the confidence that comes from knowing you won't be punished for making a well-intentioned decision. When any one of those is missing, people stop leading and start waiting.

Leadership Conversations: Built for Africa exists to ask the questions many organisations avoid—but every CEO eventually has to answer. Follow the series for practical leadership perspectives designed for leaders building high-performing organisations across Africa.

Ready to build a culture of real accountability? Read more to understand why your best leaders are getting stuck in 'The Accountability Trap' and how to build a system that actually works. Link in comments.

The question is no longer whether SME support works — it is how we scale what works.

After 13 years of supporting entrepreneurs across Africa, our evidence shows that well-designed SME support can improve business performance, strengthen employee livelihoods and create jobs.

Our growing evidence base — including preliminary findings from our Kenya Randomised Controlled Trial — reinforces what we have seen across our programmes: combining digital learning, facilitator-led support and peer learning can help entrepreneurs build stronger, more resilient businesses.

Claire Njuguna’s story with Renray Poultry Solutions shows this in practice. Through AMI’s Grow Your Business programme, Claire strengthened her business systems and expanded beyond poultry equipment into a complete poultry solutions provider.

Today, Renray has grown by approximately 70%, supporting more farmers, creating jobs and strengthening Kenya’s poultry value chain.

The opportunity ahead is clear: investing in SMEs is investing in Africa’s future.

Discover how investing in Africa's entrepreneurs is powering job creation and transforming livelihoods in our 2025 Impact Report. Link in comments.

Most organisations don't struggle with accountability because people don't care. They struggle because leadership systems unintentionally reward the opposite.

When expectations are vague, approvals are endless and mistakes are treated as failures instead of learning opportunities, people stop taking ownership. Not because they're incapable, but because the organisation has taught them that playing it safe is the smarter career move. Over time, compliance replaces judgement and leaders find themselves carrying more decisions than ever before.

One of the biggest insights from Leadership Conversations: Building a Culture of Accountability was that accountability isn't something you demand at the end of the quarter. It's something you design every day through clarity, decision rights, coaching and trust. The highest-performing organisations don't rely on exceptional people alone—they build environments where ownership becomes the default way of working.

If your team isn't taking ownership, don't start by asking what's wrong with your people. Start by asking what your leadership systems are teaching them every day. Follow Leadership Conversations: Built for Africa for executive insights that help leaders build organisations where accountability drives performance, innovation and long-term growth.

Ready to build a culture of real accountability? Read more to understand why your best leaders are getting stuck in 'The Accountability Trap' and how to build a system that actually works. Link in comments.

Growth can create momentum. But scaling requires the right leaders and systems.

As organisations move into their next phase of growth, the challenge isn't just increasing revenue. It's building the leadership capacity, operational systems, and culture needed to grow without losing what makes the business work.

Join us on Tuesday, 25th August for our next Leadership Conversations webinar: Growth and Scale: Developing the Leaders and Systems to Support Your Next Phase of Growth.

Hear from Rebecca Harrison (CEO & Co-Founder, AMI) and Segun Adeyemi (Founder & CEO, Anchor), as they share practical insights on how leaders can:
-Move managers from managing day-to-day work to leading growth.
-Identify operational bottlenecks that hold expansion back.
-Build leadership pipelines that keep pace with growth.
-Protect culture and customer experience as teams expand.

📅 Tuesday 25 August 2026
🕑 4:00PM EAT/ 3:00PM SAST/ 2:00PM WAT
📍 Live on Zoom

If you're a founder, senior leader, operations professional, or HR/talent leader navigating growth, this conversation is for you.

Register here today: https://bit.ly/4bKwrgI

What happens when entrepreneurs get the practical tools, support and networks they need to grow?

Our 2025 Impact Report offers one of our clearest answers yet.

In 2025, we reached 27,404 businesses across Africa — eight times more than the previous year — working alongside governments, local business support organisations and our network of Growth Guides.

Across the businesses we supported:
💼 6,762 jobs were created across 3,046 businesses
💰 $36 in additional business revenue was generated for every $1 invested in training
📈 $7.70 in livelihoods value was returned for every $1 spent on training

Women-led businesses continued to outperform the average, reinforcing what we’ve seen across our work: investing in inclusive entrepreneurship can strengthen businesses, livelihoods and economies.

These numbers are more than measures of programme performance. They point to what is possible when entrepreneurs have the support to build stronger businesses, create jobs and contribute to Africa’s economic future.

Discover how investing in Africa's entrepreneurs is powering job creation and transforming livelihoods in our 2025 Impact Report. Link in comments

Job creation is one of the clearest indicators of business growth. The question is: what enables some businesses to create jobs while others struggle to scale?

Often, it isn't access to bigger markets or more capital alone. It's the ability to build the systems, discipline and capabilities that allow a business to grow sustainably.

Across Africa, a small group of high-growth enterprises are creating jobs, strengthening local economies and proving that growth is not simply about scale but about building businesses that last.

If you're an ambitious founder ready to move beyond the day-to-day demands of running a business and focus on building one that grows with intention, this opportunity is for you.

Through the Grow Your Business Programme, delivered by AMI in partnership with the Livelihood Impact Fund (LIF), you'll gain practical tools, expert support and a community of entrepreneurs committed to scaling stronger businesses that create lasting impact.

Ready to move from hustle to scale? Swipe to see if your business fits the profile.

Performance reviews don't build high-performing teams. Great conversations do.

As businesses across Africa grow, the challenge isn't just finding great talent. It's creating a culture where people are aligned, accountable, and performing at their best every day.

Join us tomorrow for a practical conversation on Building a Culture of Accountability, where we'll explore how business leaders can move beyond annual appraisals to create performance cultures that drive real business results.

Hear from Brenda Wakaba (HR Consultant, AMI) and Caroline Kamau (Change Management Specialist) as they share practical insights, real African business examples, and actionable strategies for leading high-performing teams.

📅 28 July 2026
🕑 2:00 PM EAT | 1:00 PM CAT | 12:00 PM WAT
📍 Live on Zoom

If you're a business leader, HR professional, or manager looking to strengthen performance and unlock your team's potential, this conversation is for you.