Policy LINK Launches Leadership for Inclusive Policy (L4IP) Program

In early 2025, the USAID Feed the Future Policy LINK project will begin the Leadership for Inclusive Policy (L4IP) Program, an immersive, six-month leadership development course for food security and climate change policy leaders in countries across Africa.

The L4IP Program will prepare leaders to use inclusive, participatory, and data-informed policy processes to achieve greater food security on the continent. Through in-person workshops, virtual learning modules, coaching, and self-designed action learning projects that address real-world challenges, leaders will develop a growth mindset, grow and apply their emotional intelligence, and learn to facilitate inclusive processes, promote evidence-based practices, and drive organizational change. Over time, these leaders will help transform their respective policy systems more broadly, making them more collaborative, inclusive, and evidence-driven.

The program will begin in Ghana, where 25 agriculture, food security, and climate change system individuals from our program partners and stakeholders will embark on a leadership journey that prepares them to address complex policy issues more effectively. Policy LINK will form cohorts in Ethiopia, Kenya and East Africa, and among English and French-speaking country focal points for the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP), helping create a critical mass of leaders well-placed to achieve Africa’s ambitious food security objectives.

According to Policy LINK Chief of Party Shannon Sarbo, "Through L4IP, leaders will strengthen their ability to engage stakeholders, encourage collaboration, and ensure that policies reflect evidence and the voices of diverse actors. This program is about enabling leaders to drive meaningful change in their organizations and within Africa’s policy systems.”

Program updates will be available on the Policy LINK website.