The maiden edition of ‘Education Leadership Retreat’ organised for individuals in leadership positions has begun in Accra.
The three-day event, jointly organised by the Global Skills Hub, UK and Lion Outreach International, USA, brought together participants from Kenya, Nigeria, and Malawi.
It is on the theme “Leadership and management of personal and labour matters in a 21st century tertiary education system”.
Speaking at the opening, the Executive Director of the Lion Outreach International, Dr Jerry Vreeman, said leaders should prioritise team work in all their endeavours.
This, according to him, would make it easier for their companies to grow while promoting peaceful coexistence.
Explaining, he indicated that there were five levels of leadership, namely position, permission, production, people or development and personhood.
He, therefore, underscored the need for leaders to understand and value the people following them.
“A leader is not great because of position or power, but due to the ability to empower others, people follow you because of what you can do for them,” Dr Vreeman added.
In furtherance, he mentioned that age does not qualify a person when it comes to leadership, “it is about competence”.
The Director of Global Studies, Mr Honey Olawale, expressed the need to train leaders, especially those in the educational sectors, with the needed skills in order to develop their organisation and the continent at large.
“The event is all about bringing together education stakeholders across Africa and education leaders to discuss and to look at how we can manage the university system, looking at how to care for the staff and students,” he said.
According to him, participants would undergo training in communication, team work, labour and marketing, among others.
He was optimistic that at the end of the event, participants would gain insight into their personal leadership style, qualities and challenges in order to effectively lead others.
BY AGNES OPOKU SARPONG