PfAL welcomes students from across the London School of Economics and Political Science to join the network.
PfAL welcomes students from across the London School of Economics and Political Science to join the network.

Monday, December 15, 2014 saw the launch of PfAL@LSE, an additional component of PfAL that draws in graduate scholars from sub-Saharan Africa studying taught MSc programs from  across The London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE). The extension not only expands the current PfAL network, it also brings in diversity of subject background and nationality.

The first PfAL@LSE event had nearly 50 students in attendance and was officially launched with a welcome speech from Professor Paul Kelly, LSE Pro-Director of Teaching and Learning. Following the welcome, Dr Connson Locke from the Department of Management (LSE) led a session about Leadership Presence, during which she presented research about how effective, influential leaders are perceived based on several communication channels. Continue reading

PfAL3 scholars with Firoz Lalji, Chairman of PfAL Foundation
PfAL3 scholars with Firoz Lalji, Chairman of PfAL Foundation (Photo by Owen Billcliffe Photography)

Congratulations to the PfAL3 scholars, now MSc graduates of LSE! On Wednesday, December 17, 2014, the Department of International Development at LSE held a graduation ceremony for the MSc class of 2013-14. Though not all of the PfAL3 scholars were able to be in London for the ceremony, ten of our scholars walked across the stage to the sound of their names being read aloud and the audience in applause. The ceremony was followed by a reception in LSE’s new Saw Swee Hock Student Centre, where the graduates celebrated their achievement with friends, family and department staff.

By Fiona Mungai (PfAL4, Kenya) and Yusuf Kiranda (PfAL4, Uganda)

The recent collapse of the International Criminal Court (ICC) case against Kenya’s President Uhuru Kenyatta does not come as a surprise. The turn of events was perhaps expected owing to the incessant failure of the Prosecutor, Fatou Bensouda, to gather crucial evidence against the President. Uhuru Kenyatta faced charges of crimes against humanity after a wave of violence erupted following the 2008 elections. Besides this development setting precedence as the first trial to challenge the pertinence of the international courts in delivering justice to Africa, it raises fundamental questions regarding the future of the ICC.

For the full article, please visit the Africa@LSE blog.

By Michael Mbate (PfAL4, Kenya)

Economic growth in most African countries is on a positive trajectory, and the global perception of the continent has evolved to that of sheer optimism. The civil wars and conflicts that marred the continent have significantly declined. Concurrently, economic management is becoming prudent, a middle class is emerging, and social indicators are rapidly improving. No wonder the United Nations hailed the continent as a potential global growth pole. Other sentiments such as “Africa is rising” or “Lions on the move” are not hard to come by. While this turnaround solicits some degree of accolade, the key challenge is to ensure that this growth is sustainable, inclusive and translates into equitable improved standards of living.

For the full article, visit the Africa@LSE blog.

Students at Cumberland Lodge. (Photo submitted by Benazir Syahril for the LSE International Development blog)
Students at Cumberland Lodge. (Photo submitted by Benazir Syahril for the LSE International Development blog)

On 31 October, nine PfAL4 scholars headed towards Cumberland Lodge with more than 30 of their classmates for the annual MSc Development Management Cumberland Lodge trip. Genevieve Imbali (PfAL4, Kenya) co-wrote an article recapping the event in LSE’s International Development blog, which can be accessed here.

Helen Mayelle (PfAL3, Uganda) during her first week in Sierra Leone
Helen Mayelle (PfAL3, Uganda) during her first week in Sierra Leone

For many, the choice to go to Sierra Leone for a job working on the Ebola response would be very difficult. But for Helen Mayelle, it was an opportunity to come to the aid of people who were in need. She recently wrote about her first week working with Save the Children in Sierra Leone for LSE’s International Development blog, found here.

Written by Fiona Imbali, 2013-14, MSc Development Management

26.02.2014-cumberlandlodge-1-revisedSince arriving in bustling Heathrow Airport, I’ve been through one academic term, read through hundreds of pages of reading assignments and submitted three essays. Michaelmas Term has flown by, but the thought of Cumberland Lodge, the 17th century house to which a group of Development Management students visited in November, still kindles splendid memories.

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The fighting that broke out in South Sudan this past December sparked much discussion among 2013-14 PfAL scholars.  To bring the situation into the spotlight, our scholars organised a series of talks, hosted by LSE’s Department of International Development (ID) and supported by PfAL, focusing on the reasons for South Sudan’s current situation and what its future holds.

The series kicked off on Wednesday, February 12, 2014 at the Wolfson Theatre on LSE’s campus with “What went wrong and what can be done about it? A South Sudanese perspective for post-war state building in South Sudan.”  The audience filled the entire theatre for talks by Foreign Minister of South Sudan Dr. Barnaba Marial Benjamin and Dr. Edward Thomas of the Rift Valley Institute for the public. Continue reading