Building Africa,
One Product Leader at a Time
Product
Leadership
Accelerator
The Product Leadership Accelerator (PLA) is a premier, comprehensive talent discovery and acceleration program designed to elevate the field of product management across Africa.
It targets the critical shortage of skilled product managers, directly impacting the continent's tech and economic landscape.
PLA equips aspiring and current product professionals with the skills necessary to excel in global and local markets.
The Product Mindset Is Critical
For The Development of Africa's Innovation Economy
Africa is in the midst of unprecedented growth, entrepreneurial activity, and increased consumer product demand. This rapid development has caught many organisations by surprise, resulting in slow responses to market shifts, evolved consumer behaviour, and competitive pressures from non-African companies.
The private and public sectors in Africa face a significant challenge—the myth that creating solutions is the main thrust of product development, rather than on identifying and solving real problems.
This misunderstanding hinders value creation for citizens and customers, creating a huge gulf that PLA aims to fill.
PLA is designed to promote product-oriented cultures that focus on problem-solving and providing validated solutions that create true value for customers and citizens.
What Gaps Are We Filling?
Why the PLA?
Africa is experiencing rapid growth and increased demand for consumer products, yet there’s a severe shortage of skilled product managers to build these products, hindering innovation and global competitiveness.
In addition, many organizations on the continent focus on solutions rather than identifying and solving real problems PLA emerges as a timely and targeted solution, equipping aspiring product leaders with essential skills and real-world experience, and directly addressing the talent gap, creating a pipeline and mindset that is problem discovery and product delivery oriented, resulting in successful products that are loved by the user.
The PLA Impact
PLA envisions an Africa where product management excellence drives economic and technological transformation.
By finding and nurturing a new generation of product leaders, PLA addresses the continent's most pressing needs, with viable solutions to our complex problems.
The vision is to create a vibrant product ecosystem and talent base where African products lead on the global stage, delivering solutions that delight users and drive sustained growth.
Through the ripple effect of our trained leaders, Africa will become a beacon of innovation, with a culture of excellence and continuous improvement in product development. This transformation will position Africa as a pivotal player in the global digital economy, ensuring prosperity and progress for future generations.
The PLA Learning Journey
PLA’s learning journey begins with an in-person kick-off intensive, followed by two three-month rotations at different partner organisations.
These rotations provide real-world experience and broaden participants' exposure. The program culminates in a final intensive session and graduation, followed by long-term placements in partner organisations.
Interested?
We are seeking financial support from grants, partnerships, and private-sector investments. In addition, PLA plans to engage experienced product coaches and practitioners to deliver the program. Collaborations with leading businesses, public sector organizations, and academic institutions will be key to widen the reach and impact