Born in Ghana, but having lived and worked in almost 10 countries across Africa, Fred Swaniker was deeply concerned the African continent suffering as a result of poor leadership.

Fred envisioned a world-class academic institution where the most outstanding young African students could develop into leaders who are passionate about Africa and eager to make an impact.

With Fred’s co-founder, Chris Bradford, they launched the pilot of the African Leadership Academy in 2005. This work was validated in 2006, when Chris and Fred were named Echoing Green Fellows as two of the “leading emerging social entrepreneurs in the world.” Two years later, they opened the doors for ALA’s inaugural class in 2008 at their campus in Johannesburg, South Africa. ALA remains the continent’s only pan-African high school.

Since launching ALA, Fred has gone on to start the African Leadership Network, African Leadership University, and ALU School of Business. There are more than 1,000 young leaders in the ALA network representing 46 countries in Africa. In 2019, Fred was named one of TIME 100’s Most Influential People. He is a 2006 Echoing Green Fellow.

Find Fred on the Fellow Directory