The RIKA HR Leadership Programme Launches in Africa

The RIKA HR Leadership Programme (“RIKA”), designed to deliver advanced HR programming to prepare high-achieving human resources professionals in Africa for senior leadership roles, today announced the official programme launch and commenced recruitment of Fellows for its inaugural February 2022 cohort.

RIKA’s innovative programme aims to bridge the gap between traditional HR practices and more holistic leadership approaches through a training program that brings together business, thought and HR leaders from around the world as faculty and speakers. Curated specifically for fast-growth organisations in Africa and intended to develop the next generation of Chief Human Resource Officers (CHROs), the programme is the first of its kind.

The programme was formed after two of RIKA’s founding partners, Blue Haven Initiative and Human Performance Dynamics (HPD) Africa, created a task force in 2019 to investigate why most HR practitioners in Africa are undervalued and lack access to world-class programming to expand their leadership, analytics, and innovation skills. The task force included CEOs and CHROs from some of the continent’s leading organizations. From this, RIKA was conceived in 2021 with a singular mandate to nurture HR leaders, who will create deep and lasting value in their companies.

“In an era of unprecedented economic, workforce, and digital change, it is more important than ever to get the people part of the equation right,” said Susan Githuku, RIKA Faculty Member and Author, Founder and CEO, HPD Africa. “Skilled, insightful HR leaders who can embrace disruption, act creatively and harness data analytics will play an essential role in innovative companies in Africa releasing long-term value.”

The RIKA partner group is made up of Blue Haven Initiative, a family office that invests in start-up companies in sub-Saharan Africa; HPD Africa; EXELL Intelligence; and Sky Rocket. Members of the partner group have worked with some of the most innovative companies in Africa and the world and understand the impact that strategic people leaders can have on performance. They are united in their passion for transforming fast-growth organisations in Africa.

Dave Ulrich, Professor of Business at the Ross School of Business, University of Michigan, Author and Co-founder, The RBL Group, commented, “It is an honour to partner with RIKA to help HR leaders throughout Africa by drawing on our research to equip them with the latest insights, tools and skills.”

The RIKA programme includes five modules—technical, business, digital, leadership and change–each of which provides training and insights into a fundamental area of advanced leadership and HR. RIKA Fellows will be equipped with future of work management strategies and a life-long network of peers and mentors. (RIKA is the Bantu name for those who have been equipped to do significant work.)

“By 2030, Africa will be home to 20% of the world’s labor force and six of the 10 fastest growing economies,” added Githuku. “Workplace talent has never been more important. With its rich human capital, Africa is well positioned to thrive with high-impact, catalytic people leaders.”

The programme for the first 2022 cohort of up to 25 Fellows will run between February and May 2022. The closing date for applications for the February 2022 cohort is January 10, 2022.

About the RIKA HR Leadership Programme

The RIKA HR Leadership Programme bridges the gap between traditional HR practices and more holistic leadership. It was created specifically for fast-growth organisations in Africa. RIKA prepares high achieving HR professionals and business leaders for senior roles, enabling them to release serious long-term value in their companies. Based Nairobi, Kenya, RIKA has built an impressive faculty and speaker roster with front-line experience in some of the world’s most successful companies.