AECI Future Leaders Challenge aims to produce SA’s leaders of tomorrow
AECI Future Leaders Challenge is designed to equip young South Africans with the leadership skills and ethical foundations they need to lead SA into a brighter future.
To address South Africa’s 45.5% youth unemployment rate, and bridge the inequality gap, AECI has launched its Future Leaders Challenge.
The AECI Future Leaders Challenge is a national movement to cultivate leaders, problem-solvers, and innovators who will shape the country’s next chapter.
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On March 7, the Ster-Kinekor complex in Rosebank premiered a groundbreaking edutainment feature film, designed to turn cinemas into classrooms and storytelling into a call to action.
Produced by award-winning production house Coal Stove Pictures, the 75-minute film follows the journeys of young South Africans as they navigate the real-world challenges of leadership. It demonstrates that leadership is not about power but about purpose, service, and action.
Primestars’ managing director Martin Sweet noted that the youth make up 70% of the population, but 100% of our future. “Investing in them is not charity; it’s the only viable strategy for South Africa’s success.”
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AECI Group CEO Holger Riemensperger added that true leadership is rooted in service, and driven by purpose. “South Africa’s future depends on developing resilient, ethical, and solutions-driven leaders. The AECI Future Leaders Challenge is about creating a ripple effect of positive impact.”
At the heart of this programme is a simple but powerful message: Leadership is not inherited but cultivated.
The programme’s content embeds 12 globally recognised leadership principles, including: leading with integrity, celebrating diversity, and developing emotional intelligence, which are critical skills for a generation which will shape South Africa’s future.
AECI Group vice president of sustainability Kavita Pema said the programme is meant to empower young South Africans to step up, take ownership, and lead. “Leadership is not a privilege, it is a responsibility. Be inspired by Nelson Mandela’s words: ‘Be the scriptwriters of your destiny’.”
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