Finding talented managers is a critical challenge for entrepreneurs everywhere, but it is especially difficult in emerging markets. To help overcome this hurdle, the Argidius Foundation and the Aspen Network of Development Entrepreneurs (ANDE) launched the talent challenge in 2016 to identify highly promising solutions to human capital constraints in key emerging markets worldwide and provide seed funding to scale these models.
An expert panel of SGB sector professionals selected the 5 winners from more than 85 applicants based on the clarity, feasibility, capacity, expected impact and scalability of the proposed solution.
“SGBs do more than create jobs and generate income. Successful SGBs also cultivate a spirit of entrepreneurship that can transform the economic and social culture of developing nations. A program like Amani’s that inspires and trains entrepreneurial leaders at SGBs has the potential to create long-term positive impacts, both for businesses and society”. Said Randall Kempner, Executive Director of the Aspen Network of Development Entrepreneurs (ANDE).
As one of five winners of the first round of the Challenge, Amani Institute successfully launched the Amani Leadership and Management for Impact (ALMI) program in 2017.
Since its inception the program has trained 130 middle and senior managers from 50 Small and Growing Businesses in East Africa. Nearly one in three companies that send one manager to this program end up sending more managers after that – a testament to the program’s effectiveness.
Following an intensive evaluation of the five programs which won the first round of the AATC, Argidius Foundation and ANDE announced that the ALMI program by Amani Institute as the grand prize winner.
“We want to thank both Argidius Foundation and ANDE who believed in our project and guided us along this process” says Ilaina Rabbat, Co-Founder and Executive Director of Amani Institute.
“We also want to thank all the enlightened CEOs and founders of dozens of SGBs in East Africa that have invested in their talent development through us. Their satisfaction and the direct impact on their businesses is the best encouragement for us to move forward with developing a new generation of managers who can lead with integrity and empathy while making their businesses successful, purpose-driven, and sustainable.”
As a result, Argidius Foundation will provide Amani Institute a grant of EUR1,000,000 (Sh113.6 million) to support scaling up the project to India and Brazil, while continuing to grow in East Africa.
With the 10th cohort of this successful program starting in Kenya on October 4th, Amani Institute plans to launch the program globally later this year under the new name Leadership for Growth (L4G), starting from India and following with Brazil (where the program will run in Portuguese as AGE, Acelerando Gestores para Escalar). The aim of the program continues to be an attempt to solve the middle management bottle-neck to growth and scale.
“Any program we design creates value for both the organization and the individual. Leadership for Growth has been custom designed in emerging markets and tested to answer the specific needs of small businesses. This is the only leadership and management program with a consistent track record of business results.” said Amani Institute Co-Founder, Roshan Paul.
Of the 50+ companies that have participated in the East Africa edition, on average companies see growth by more than 20% and have together accessed more than $3million in investment finance after participating in the program.
