Twenty-nine African professionals have been awarded 2013 Australian Leadership Award Scholarships (ALAS), marking an increase of over 30 per cent in the number of ALAS allocated to the continent. ALAS are offered to outstanding candidates whose chosen fields of study and leadership qualities equip them to address development challenges in their home countries.

The ALAS Awardees, drawn from among the 420 candidates selected for Masters awards under the 2013 Australia Awards in Africa program, will undertake a Leadership for Development Program to enhance leadership capacity and expand their networks, in addition to their regular Masters studies.

Commenting on the increase in ALAS for Africa, AusAID Minister-Counsellor, Mr Jamie Isbister, expressed satisfaction with the growing interaction between Australia and Africa.

“The increase of over 30 per cent in the number of ALAS awarded to Africa for 2013 reflects the continuing and growing importance of the engagement between Australia and its development partners in Africa,” said Mr Isbister.

Africa’s 2013 ALAS Awardees are from Botswana, Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, Seychelles, South Africa, Swaziland, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia.

An ALAS Award is the culmination of a rigorous selection process by an independent selection panel comprising members of a number of Australian Government departments in Canberra.

Globally, 200 ALAS are available annually to candidates in Africa and the Middle East, East Asia, South and West Asia, the Pacific and Papua New Guinea, and Latin America and the Caribbean.

ALAS aim to develop leadership, address priority regional development issues, and build partnerships and linkages between Australian organisations and partner organisations in developing countries, including Africa.

The goal of the ALAS program is to develop appropriately trained current and aspiring leaders in priority areas, who, in the short – to medium – term, will be in a position to advance key regional policy objectives and increase the institutional capacity of their countries.