Provide Access to Education

Provide Access to Education

“For too long we have allowed Africa’s best minds to be cut off from education and training of the highest quality. This program will help give African leaders a sense of confidence and the ability to work on an equal footing with the rest of the world.”

thandika
Thandika Mkandawire
Chair in African Development, London School of Economics

PfAL provides candidates with access to a world-class education program at the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) to develop knowledge, confidence and leadership capability. This is achieved via the provision of full or partial scholarships to successful applicants, with up to GBP£30,000 available dependent upon an assessment of financial need. Scholarships are awarded to cover tuition fees and living expenses whilst attending the PfAL program in London.

The PfAL program at the LSE consists of:

  • A one-year Master’s degree
  • PfAL@LSE: a leadership-focused events series exploring the challenges and opportunities facing the African continent.

Master’s degree

“I think transformation is taking its course. I will definitely become a very different person in the way I view the world and this will have a tremendous impact on my leadership capabilities.”
— PfAL 2012 participant

Lalji PfAL scholarship students study graduate programs in international development offered across LSE.

Eligible programs include:

Students follow compulsory core courses in their chosen discipline and are required to produce an end-of-year 10,000-word dissertation. The degrees provide an academically rigorous foundation in development, as well as the opportunity to tailor the degree to individual career objectives and areas of interest through optional courses. The electives can be chosen from a wide range of courses offered by departments and institutes within the School, such as:

  • Accounting and Finance
  • Anthropology
  • Demography
  • Economics and Economic History
  • Geography and Environment
  • Government
  • International Development
  • International Relations
  • Information Systems
  • Management
  • Social Policy
  • Sociology

PfAL candidates will study together with students from around the world during their Master’s degree, providing a perfect platform for cross-cultural understanding, learning and, of course, networking and friendship.

PfAL@LSE Seminar Series

“What I got far exceeded my expectations. Hard facts, great discussions, challenging thoughts, great presentations and very high quality speakers. If this doesn’t change me, I don’t know what ever will.”
— PfAL 2012 participant

Each month a lecture and seminar series will take place exclusively for members of that year’s PfAL program, which from 2014 will also include LSE graduate students of sub-Saharan nationality who have signed up to join the Network.  This bespoke element is designed to provide time for students to come together to listen and contribute to key contemporary debates and to reflect on their own development as future leaders of African organizations and communities.

Expert speakers from LSE and invited guests from the public and private sectors, civil society and the media will address the cohort each month on a wide variety of topics designed to stimulate, challenge and engage participants, and open debates will follow.

Topics, based on previous PfAL seminars, could include:

  • Leadership in the 21st Century
  • Leadership Presence and Style
  • Potentials and Pitfalls of Leadership
  • Leadership and Coalition-Building
  • Global Economic Governance
  • The Role of Commodities in African Development
  • China, Aid and FDI
  • Development Dilemmas
  • The State, Development and Democracy
  • The Demographic Transition and Development
  • Poverty and Capabilities
  • Global Youth
  • Responsibility to Protect
  • In/equality: Does It Matter?
  • Invention and Intervention in African Cities
  • Africa in a Global World: Outstanding Challenges