Executive Director of Paradigm Initiative, Gbenga Sesan, on Leadership

“African leaders must be authentic and own their own spaces. We must combine lived experience, passion and expertise to be able to offer leadership from a place of empathy and knowledge.”

What motivates you to lead?

My lived experience has been a mix of access denials, opportunities and helping others. As my career path developed, I found myself in a position of privilege in the midst of dire need so I had to use what I had to meet the needs of others. I continue to do that and though some people refer to it as leadership, I think it’s my duty to give back so that my opportunities won’t be the exception. The challenge with being the exception in a community where lack prevails is that you become an easy target, and this tough reality inspires me to continue to fill gaps so that young people who would otherwise become threats are given early opportunities that set them on a similar path to mine.

What is the best way to prepare for leadership?

I think authenticity is one of the best foundations for leadership — owning your lack, privilege, opportunity and the complex mix of experiences so that you can provide guidance for others on the path you once trod. Preparing for leadership involves developing a holistic view of our sphere of influence so that we can see the gaps, understand what is required and then use our privilege to fill those gaps. I think the best way to prepare for leadership is to realise that your journey is literally that of a trailblazer who is discovering possible paths out of the challenges/situations that we learn to overcome/master. 

Who is an example of inspired, values-based leadership (past or present) that you have learned from? 

I have learnt a lot from the life of Prof. Wole Soyinka, a Nobel Prize winner who could afford to live his best life outside Nigeria but chose to immerse himself into the Nigerian situation — both while he lived here and while he was away. Prof. Soyinka has used his privilege, access to power and skills shed light on the plight of other Nigerians, and he has shown immense courage in speaking up even when it would cost him his own convenience. As he once said, his inspiration comes from the personal need for tranquility that drives him to intervene in any situation that is a threat to his tranquility — and that of other Nigerians.

How would you describe your style of leadership and your ambition as a leader?

I believe in unconscious leadership, one that does not come with a label but that is exhibited as a default. I strive to lead as one whose lived experiences — and triggers along the way — provide a learning opportunity that I can offer others. My current leadership opportunity in digital inclusion and digital rights stem from my personal experiences and situations that I had to overcome, so I see the lessons learnt as foundation to help others. The pain that I experienced while in those situations, either being denied access to a  computer lab or being a victim of State abuse of power, serve as fuel for my passion to ensure no other young person goes through the same.

What is your message to Africa’s aspiring leaders? 

African leaders must be authentic and own their own spaces. We must combine lived experience, passion and expertise to be able to offer leadership from a place of empathy and knowledge. There is no point claiming to be a leader when all we want is to achieve a selfish end, so each aspiring African leader must choose between playing the ostrich (which in itself is a valid choice) and standing up for others while leaning on our privilege of lived experience, knowledge and more.

Gbenga Sesan is the Executive Director of Paradigm Initiative, a pan-African social enterprise working on digital inclusion and digital rights through its offices in Cameroon, Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, Zambia and Zimbabwe. He is also a Non-Resident Fellow at the Digital Civil Society Lab at Stanford University. Originally trained as an Electronic & Electrical Engineer at Obafemi Awolowo University, he completed Executive Education programs at Lagos Business School, New York Group for Technology Transfer, Oxford University, Harvard University, Stanford University, Santa Clara University and University of the Pacific. ‘Gbenga’s consulting experience includes assignments completed for numerous institutions, including Microsoft, Harvard University and United Nations agencies, among others, in over 30 countries. A Schwab Foundation Social Entrepreneur of the Year and former member of the United Nations Committee of eLeaders on Youth and ICT, he is a CyberStewards Fellow, Crans Montana Forum Fellow, Archbishop Desmond Tutu Leadership Fellow, Ashoka Fellow, Our Common Future Fellow and Cordes Fellow. ‘Gbenga served as a member of the Nigerian Presidential committees on Harmonization of Information Technology, Telecommunications and Broadcasting Sectors (2006) and Roadmap for the Achievement of Accelerated Universal Broadband Infrastructure and Services Provision (2013). He advised the World Health Organisation on Data Privacy in the early days of the coronavirus pandemic and is currently advising the World Economic Forum on its Operationalising Trust Project, to develop rights-respecting Data Policy for businesses.