One of the most distinctive elements of Burundi’s transition is the extent to which national leaders have embraced the importance of leadership training as a key to reconciliation and good governance. Indeed, Burundi may be the first case of a country just emerging from conflict in which key leaders have integrated into their peace process a national training program explicitly designed to rebuild their capacity to work effectively together in advancing their country’s postwar reconstruction. This essay examines the goals and methods of the Burundi Leadership Training Program (BLTP).
About the Authors
Howard Wolpe
Howard Wolpe, a former U.S. congressman who chaired the House’s Africa Subcommittee and later served as presidential special envoy to Africa’s Great Lakes region, directs the African Program and Leadership Project at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars.
Ethiopia’s ruling party has long been tightening its grip, using antiterrorism laws and harsh restrictions on media and civil society to silence voices critical of the regime.
When Africa’s leaders act undemocratically, they face an unexpected opponent—the power of the pulpit. Within civil society, church leaders and their faithful have become leading defenders of liberal democracy.
