human Resource Director for the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) News, Irene Asare, has emphasised the need for effective leadership on every level to spur development and transformation on the African continent.
She is certain that it is essential to ensuring innovation, maximising potentials, effecting positive change and empowering individuals while working together as a continent to harness available resources for development.
“We have some great leaders and I think Africa has an amazing opportunity. I understand in the coming years we will be heavily populated against many other nations. There lies an opportunity to be relevant and to participate. I think what is important is that we use these times to educate, improve, develop and harness the great things we are doing already.
“To me, that is important for Africa; to come together and start having this conversation. There is something about coming together and sharing ideas to spark great interest. I always say together we can,” she said in an interview with the B&FT ahead of the African Leadership Academy networking event slated for Saturday, August 13, 2022 in Accra on the theme ‘An African Vision of the Future of Work’.
The conference
As the keynote speaker, she believes it is a great platform that will bring together experts, decision-makers and industry players toward developing transformational leaders for Africa.
“It is worthy of conversation; I think Africa having a vision and talking about leadership and diving into that area is hugely beneficial, and we can all learn from each other. We can never stop talking about leadership – it is the foundation, the pinnacle; it is what will drive change, transformation, drive innovation, make us relevant,” she noted.
Personal leadership
She is also of the view that while leadership in general is essential, personal leadership is equally crucial for development.
“We are all personal leaders of ourselves and people around us; I think personal leadership should be very important to everybody on the continent. For me, personal leadership is really important and I take it very seriously.”
Leveraging resources
Ms. Irene Asare believes that it is about time the continent started thinking ahead and developing the necessary expertise to leverage the available resources for growth.
“We have many resources on the continent, so the next step is how we as individuals leverage and capitalise on the resources. So if I am talking about oil, for instance, what is the role that a person can play in that space around innovation?
“We have to think about how we can leverage that. And the way we can do that, in my opinion, is through innovation, critical thinking and looking at nations which have been at the forefront of development. All of these are around innovation, having deep expertise in various fields to looking forward to the future. We have a lot of resources on the continent, let us think ahead,” she added.
The shift
Having worked as a Human Resource (HR) expert in the corporate world of Ghana for years before her appointment with the BBC, Irene Asare sees a shift to the media space as an opportunity to further make a change and to impact many.
“Some of it is who I am as a person; I thrive in many different environments, I like a challenge. I like the opportunity to create a change and make transformation happen. I keep the principles of good work ethics, getting to know people, and understanding the business within which I am working. I see BBC as a big organisation of many years, and I am here to play my part in ensuring that we drive the agenda of complete relevance and attracting transformation,” she said.
