Abstract:
The African continent demands true leaders who can change the patterns of how
actions had been performed and who can put the continent on the path of development.
How can true leaders emerge since the continent is faced with so many crises on
every hand? To answer this question the article briefl y compares and contrasts
characteristics commonly and universally recognised to leaders. This analysis will
assist in determining whether there is a difference between characteristics portrayed
by leaders among different cultures. In this article, it is found that different cultures
have different conceptions of what leadership should entail. The critical question in
cross-cultural analyses of managerial infl uences is whether individuals’ responses
to organisational practices are more or less universal. Leadership is a scarcity in
Africa and that is because of some institutional and structural constraints which
emanate from the lack of effective leaders. Considering the current confi guration
of the African continent, the use of the servant-leader model becomes relevant. The
servant-leader model, if well applied, can assist African leaders to reverse the dark
picture that portrays the performance of the continent and enable them to place the
continent on the path of development and prosperity.
