During the course of the project, they travelled from Pretoria to Dar es Salaam in Tanzania to document African expectations of leadership. Interviewees were asked to express their expectations in five words, which will be delivered to African heads of state later this year. In support of this project, the Albert Luthuli Centre for Responsible Leadership managed to partner with the New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD) Agency and the United Nations Development Programme in order to get the message to heads of state. People from across the continent have started to contribute messages.
 

“Up to now, things have been working out better than we expected. There is no turning back now,” says Dr Fourie.
 

Deon Meiring is the architect of the idea that forms part of a larger and even more ambitious research project conducted by the Albert Luthuli Centre for Responsible Leadership and the Uongozi Institute of African Leadership in Dar es Salaam. This project, named Leadership for Africa, aims to identify the key enablers and disablers of top-level leadership in more than ten countries in Africa through a team of 50 researchers that will document case studies over the next few years.
 

Ordinary citizens can contribute the five words they would like to say to their leaders via Twitter (hashtag #leader5) or Facebook (on the page Leadership for Africa) or a dedicated website, www.leader5.org. For more information on the Leadership for Africa project, visit www.leadership-for-africa.org.