The examination of the importance of education in government leadership : the case of the Southern African Development Community (SADC)

Abstract

There is a strong need to examine the importance of education in african leaders and the role played by education in decisions made by leaders in Africa. Public sector institutions globally, are the hope for the citizens or communities for their needs.The aim of this paper is to show the relationship between poor public service delivery in Africa and lack of education especially economic governance education from african leaders. Africa as the continent is rich in mineral resources but lack of effective leaders who are willing to transform Africa by ensuring that the African economy is developed for Africans. Education status of the African leaders is not a prerequisite for candidates to stand for election in any political leadership position and subsequently into some government positions. Education lays a foundation for individuals to understand policies and it is important for political leaders to have a background of what does it take to hold a senior position in government structure. This paper concludes that political leaders in Africa must have a specific educational background. Candidates must contest political position only if they have specific education qualification and this will minimize political killings and reduce the number of contestants. Findings of this paper are based on the quantitative approached used to analyse the education level of African leaders. The results and conclusions made in this paper show that there is a gap between the demands of the people and the capacity to deliver by african leaders. Public sector institutions in Africa must be led by people who have tertiary qualifications and clear understanding of government administration and economy.