INSTITUTE FOR POLITICAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP AND LEADERSHIP (IPEL)

The Institute for Political Entrepreneurship and Leadership is a non-partisan, non-profit, and independent source of inspiration, knowledge, research and advice on political entrepreneurship and leadership to re-invent the Africa we deserve by developing a new generation of political entrepreneurs and visionary leaders who, with the right education based on the foundations of good governance, would be able to develop a continent to its full potential.

Political entrepreneurship is the capacity of the ruling class (or political leadership) to take development decisions, and follow-up their implementation conclusively (Ahiauzu (2003 p. 4), referring to Hirschman’s (1958). This brings to focus the five tendencies that determine the entrepreneurial orientation. These tendencies which include: independent action, innovation, risk taking proactive action and competitive aggression, are absent in the African political arena. Rather the opposite profile as listed by Bateman and Snell (1999 p. 260), including: “too many constraints on action, business-as-usual, extreme caution, passivity, and a lack of competitive fire”, seem to characterise the scene.

Political entrepreneurs are people who create ideas and innovations, and act as new leaders in the field of politics. They are individuals and groups who seek to improve the science and art of politics through disruption. The founders of movements such as the Chartists and Suffragettes, Capitalists and Marxists, Futurists and Luddites were all political entrepreneurs.

The value of the term and its meaning lies in its distinct description of people who come up with new ways to solve political problems in terms of political philosophy, political technology, political campaigns, and governance.

Africa needs a revolution of thought – one that would pursue the ‘eradication of underdevelopment, exploitation and dependence.’ African leaders must rise up to the challenge. They must be willing to take independent actions for the benefit of the people whose ‘mandate’ they enjoy, setting aside the artificial constraints. They must be innovative in their thoughts and actions and bring creativity to the polity. They must be determined to take risks and act proactively to determine the course of event. African leaders must understand that governance is an enterprise and it requires competitive aggression to succeed in the ever growing competitive world. Our ability to compete shall largely be determined by our ability to generate opportunities and pursue results with determination and courage. The political reform in Africa should therefore be directed at promoting political entrepreneurship and leadership, which increasingly seeks for competitiveness, innovativeness and creativeness. .

THE NEED FOR THE INSTITUTE

A continent's polity and its good governance need energetic and informed leaders equipped with progressive ideas and abilities to cope with evolving times. The new electoral political spectrum and processes require a whole new kind of marketing and management. This requires new skills and equipment with requisite tools and training. We need trained political leaders more than ever before. We need a new generation of political entrepreneurs and leaders to tackle the major unique problems of our time.

Therefore, there is a need for a new generation of political entrepreneurs and leaders who will develop new ideas, technologies, policies, visions, and civic actions to ensure that the advances in science and technology translate into prosperity for our Continent. Given that the trust in the present political institutions has decreased, and many people are becoming increasingly dissatisfied with the status quo, we should encourage creativity and innovation in political leadership - hence, the need for the emergence of political entrepreneurs.

Political entrepreneurs are professionals who create ideas and innovations, and who move into the political arena and act as new leaders in the field of politics. They are individuals and groups who seek to improve the science and art of politics through praxis – less talk (promises/policy making) and more action (policy implementation).

To build this new generation of political entrepreneurs, we must encourage the wider participation of the younger generation in politics. This will entail a process of expanding political party membership.

The purpose of this academy is to prepare youth, emerging leaders and present political leaders to enter public life in an informed, responsive and ethical way and to start public engagement for governance. There is a need to produce better qualified, ethical, accessible and more representative political and public leaders in Africa at all tiers and arms of government. ACAPEnt provides leadership development for persons who have been identified as having the potential to become future public leaders. No other programme offers such a comprehensive curriculum in entrepreneurial political leadership development.

WHY DO WE NEED “POLITICAL ENTREPRENEURS?

In the modern world, democracies have to manage the aspirations of various sections of society with different levels of expectations and priorities. This needs innovative and out-of-box thinking with strong skill sets to execute these ideas.

In many walks of life, we encourage entrepreneurship to encourage faster and contemporary development for the welfare of society.

On similar lines now the time has come we must think about “Political Entrepreneurship” as well. It is vital to understand the thought process behind this initiative.

- Politics: the activities associated with the governance of a country or area.

- An entrepreneur is an individual who bears most of the risks for a better future. The entrepreneur is commonly seen as an innovator, a source of new ideas, and governance procedures.

“Political entrepreneurs” will be skilled human resources with specialised skill sets in managing various political activities to enhance the democratic values in the society and ensuring better political governance based on high ethical and moral standards for the overall welfare of the society.

We need political entrepreneurs to come up with the new ideas, technologies, policies, visions, and civic actions to ensure that the Fourth Industrial Revolution improves the state of the world. This can happen through diversifying political party membership, educating future political entrepreneurs, influencing current political leaders in the changes that are happening, and developing a new political philosophy to guide leaders of all political colours in this new age.

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ABOUT IPEL

IPEL is one of its kind professional institute, dedicated to the profesionalisation of political entrepreneurship and leadership for better impact through research and study of local, state, national, regional and international politics, offering a unique educational experience that prepares the next generation of visionary leaders to lead and make a difference in the world.

Email: ipel@cesbm.education, ipel@homeofentrepreneurship.com