1. !
YBSA:&manifesting&a&passion&for&tomorrow&through&action&today&
! !
!
What!is!Africa’s!greatest!challenge?!
!
This!is!a!question!that!we!like!to!pose!to!all!who!interact!with!YBSA.!The!answers!offered!
represent! an! array! of! our! continent’s! well<documented! socio! economic! ills.! However! one!
challenge!looms!large!and!seems!to!supersede!all!others.!One!challenge!is!a!dependency!in!
order!for!all!the!other!challenges!to!be!overcome.!!
Effective!Leadership.!!
Any! and! all! efforts! to! develop! our! continent! and! to! solve! our! problems! for! the! benefit! of!
African!people!cannot!be!achieved!without!effective!African!Leadership.!At!YBSA!we!firmly!
believe!that!the!quality!of!leadership!in!all!spheres!of!African!society!is!the!most!important!
factor!that!will!determine!our!developmental!success!or!failure.!
YBSA!is!a!17<year<old!non<profit!organisation!with!a!membership!base!of!young!economically!
active!South!African!residents.!YBSA!members!share!a!passion!as!young!Africans!who!truly!
believe!that!they!are!empowered!enough!to!be!a!part!of!the!solution!to!the!problems!that!we!
have! inherited.! They! believe! that! they! can! make! a! difference! by! being! the! type! of! people!
Africa!needs!them!to!be!at!work,!at!home!and!within!in!their!communities.!YBSA!members!
strive!for!opportunities!to!gain!the!knowledge,!experience!and!exposure!that!will!allow!them!
to!navigate!their!ambitions,!careers,!businesses!and!lives!in!a!manner!that!is!both!effective!
and!aligned!with!being!a!positive!contributor!to!society.!
At! YBSA,! our! strategic! intent! is! to! foster! a! culture! within! young! business! people! that!
promotes! the! leadership! qualities! most! critical! to! Africa’s! future! development.! Hence! the!
YBSA!member!is!encouraged!through!our!events!and!partner!programmes:!
!

2. !
YBSA:&manifesting&a&passion&for&tomorrow&through&action&today&
! !
!!
The!African!Leadership!Challenge!
!
Africa! needs! leaders! who! are! well! equipped! to! tackle! the!
challenges!ordinary!people!face!on!the!continent!everyday.!An!
education,! learnings! from! personal! experience! and! the!
knowledge! gained! from! the! experience! of! others! are! some! of!
the!vital!weapons!leaders!need!to!deliver!appropriate!solutions!
to!the!many!challenges!we!face!across!African!societies.!
!
“I#must#follow#the#people.#Am#I#not#their#leader?”#Benjamin#Disraeli#
Those!in!positions!of!authority!who!do!not!know!how!to!serve!
often! do! not! know! how! to! truly! lead.! A! service<oriented!
leadership! culture! needs! to! be! engendered! in! all! young!
Africans.! For! their! personal! development! and! growth,! they!
must!be!afforded!opportunities!to!avail!themselves!in!service!
to! others,! using! their! skills! to! participate! meaningfully! in!
efforts!that!address!challenges!in!our!communities.!!
!
Innovation,!creativity!and!entrepreneurship!have!the!potential!
to! make! the! greatest! contribution! to! alleviating! the! socio<
economic!imbalances!and!developmental!challenges!that!exist!
in! Africa.! Fostering! an! environment! in! which! these! elements!
can!thrive!and!cultivating!a!solution!oriented!mindset!amongst!
young! Africans! makes! for! a! sound! investment! for! continued!
economic!growth!of!economies!on!our!continent.!
!
At!YBSA,!we!believe!these!three!areas!of!leadership!development!are!critical!to!Africa’s!future!
prosperity.!We!deliver!events!and!programmes!with!our!partners!that!are!aligned!to!these!
three!pillars.!Importantly,!we!recognise!that!effective!leadership!is!not!the!preserve!of!those!
who!hold!official!titles!and!that!any!one!of!us!can!manifest!traits!of!effective!leadership!within!
our! spheres! of! influence! at! any! given! time.! Securing! a! prosperous! future! for! Africans! is! a!
responsibility!that!must!be!shared!by!all!its!citizens.!!
!
!
!

3. !
YBSA:&manifesting&a&passion&for&tomorrow&through&action&today&
! !
!
!
YBSA!Background!
1998! was! a! difficult! year! in! South! Africa.! A! tough! economic! climate,! political! anxiety,! the!
relentless!scourge!of!crime,!a!poorly!performing!currency!and!decreasing!levels!of!business!
confidence! combined! to! give! many! South! African! professionals! reasons! to! seek! greener!
pastures!in!mainly!North!America,!Europe,!Australia!and!New!Zealand.!!
!
During!the!ensuing!“brain!drain”,!a!silent!majority!of!young!South!African!professionals!stayed!
and!quietly!got!on!with!the!business!of!building!the!country!and!contributing!to!the!economy.!
They!remained!steadfast!and!assured!in!their!belief!that!post!1994,!the!country!had!seen!the!
back!of!its!worst!years,!that!the!economy!would!continually!improve!and!that!South!Africa!
would!emerge!as!a!progressive!example!to!other!developing!nations!and!to!the!rest!of!the!
world.!These!beliefs!were!maintained!in!the!face!of!much!negative!media!sentiment!about!
South!Africa.!The!overwhelming!media!focus!was!on!the!indisputable!challenges!the!country!
faced!without!sufficient!acknowledgment!of!the!progress!that!was!continually!being!made.!A!
group!of!young!South!Africans!maintained!their!positive!outlook!but!became!tired!of!doing!so!
quietly.!YBSA!was!born.!
!
In!1998,!a!group!of!young!"twenty<somethings"!convened!to!incorporate!Young!Business!for!
South!Africa!as!a!not<for<profit!organisation.!The!organisation!provided!a!platform!for!young!
professionals!to!network!and!share!information!about!the!future!outlook!of!the!country.!They!
encouraged!their!peers!to!join!them!in!their!efforts!to!discuss!and!debate!the!various!socio<
economic! challenges! in! the! country,! the! potential! solutions! and! the! opportunities! that! a!
steadily!growing!economy!was!providing.!Through!YBSA,!they!engaged!captains!of!industry,!
political!leaders,!public!officials!and!social!activists.!They!encouraged!these!leaders!to!share!
their! knowledge! and! to! participate! in! YBSA’s! efforts! to! educate! and! inform! the! business<
minded!working!youth!of!South!Africa.!YBSA!began!to!inspire!and!motivate!the!future!leaders!
of!the!country!to!be!proactive!in!its!development.!!
!
17! years! later,! YBSA’s! mandate! has! matured.! The! organisation! has! identified! the! need! for!
effective! leadership! in! all! arenas! as! Africa’s! single! greatest! challenge.! It! is! a! fundamental!
prerequisite!for!all!government,!business!and!community!initiatives,!for!economic!prosperity!
and!for!social!cohesion.!Looking!forward,!YBSA!aspires!to!contribute!to!the!development!of!
the!characteristics!of!effective!leadership!in!all!young!Africans!starting!here!at!home!in!South!
Africa.!