The Centre for African Leaders in Agriculture (CALA)

Name

The Centre for African Leaders in Agriculture (CALA)

Legal name

The Centre for African Leaders in Agriculture

Website

https://cala.agra.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2021

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Nairobi

HQ country

Kenya

HQ region

Africa

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Development Funding / Grant Model: CALA is funded by international development partners rather than commercial revenue. Funding comes from the German Development Cooperation through KfW Development Bank, with AGRA serving as the lead implementing organization.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

CALA delivers a 16-month Advanced Leadership Programme for senior and rising leaders in Africa's agriculture sector across government, private sector, and civil society in 8 focus countries. The programme combines virtual learning sessions, four Leadership Forums with continental and global experts, executive and group coaching, Action Learning Projects tied to national priorities, and an online library of leadership courses. It is delivered as a fully funded, highly selective cohort-based learning experience.

Product overview

The Centre for African Leaders in Agriculture (CALA) is an AGRA-led initiative that offers a single unified product: the Advanced Leadership Programme. This 16-month programme is a collaborative, hands-on, tailored learning experience for senior and rising leaders in Africa's agriculture sector. The programme comprises multiple integrated components including Leadership Forums, Executive and Team Coaching, Action Learning Projects, and Online Leadership Courses, all designed to equip leaders with practical skills to navigate, coordinate, and implement solutions to national agriculture challenges across government, private sector, and civil society in eight focus countries.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Advanced Leadership Programme A 16-month highly selective and collaborative learning journey designed for senior leaders and rising stars spearheading country-level agriculture priorities across government, private sector, and civil society in 8 African countries. The programme includes virtual learning sessions, leadership forums, coaching, action learning projects, and online leadership courses.

Quantifiable outcome

• Farmer yields increased from 1.5 to 3.6 metric tons per hectare under the Competitive African Rice Initiative led by CALA alumna Rachel Ajambo
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• African Management Institute (AMI)coreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 26 April 2021AMI serves as CALA's lead implementer and learning partner. AMI brings its hallmark blended learning approach combining online and mobile tools with interactive workshops and on-the-job coaching. AMI has directly trained over 35,000 people in over 39 countries and has offices in Nairobi, Kigali, and Johannesburg.
• USAID Policy LINKcoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 26 April 2021Policy LINK led the design and rollout of CALA's coaching component, providing executive and team coaching methodologies. Policy LINK is a global Feed the Future program that strengthens the leadership capacity of public, private, and civil society actors and fosters collective action for better policy systems.
• Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAGRA is the founding and lead organization behind CALA. CALA is described as an 'AGRA-led initiative' that represents a deepening of AGRA's ongoing support to state capability. AGRA provides overall strategic direction, institutional infrastructure, and connections to governments across the 8 focus countries.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Amani Institute: African-based social innovation and leadership programme that trains fellows through immersive, project-based learning. Targets emerging African social-impact leaders with a similar action-learning methodology to CALA's Action Learning Projects.
• Acumen Academy: Global leadership academy for social change that develops leaders tackling poverty through blended learning and peer networks. Operates a comparable cohort-based model targeting emerging leaders in Africa and other emerging markets.
• African Leadership University: Pan-African institution developing a new generation of African leaders through practical, project-based curricula. ALU targets similar cross-sector African talent pools and competes for the same leadership-development mindshare among young professionals.
• Tony Elumelu Foundation: Pan-African entrepreneurship and leadership platform training and funding African entrepreneurs across all sectors. Competes for the same pool of ambitious African professionals and offers a comparable mix of training, mentoring, and peer networking.
• African Management Institute: CALA's lead implementation and learning partner; AMI provides blended learning for African managers and leaders across 39 countries with similar executive-style programmes, making it the closest comparable in target audience and delivery model.
• Mandela Washington Fellowship (YALI): U.S. State Department flagship programme for emerging African leaders across all sectors, using cohort-based leadership institutes and continued networking. Targets an overlapping audience of high-potential African leaders with intensive executive-format training.
• Yale World Fellows: Elite, highly selective global leadership programme for mid-career leaders, with cohort-based curricula and a strong alumni network. Closely comparable in selectivity, duration, and prestige positioning, though broader than agriculture-focused CALA.

Emerging players

• African Leadership Academy: Pan-African leadership development institution focused on secondary-age youth across the continent. Targets a younger cohort than CALA but operates in the same pan-African leadership-development category and brand space.

Broad incumbents

• INSEAD Africa Initiative: Global top-tier business school with targeted programmes for African executives and managers. Competes for the same senior African leader audience with broader, sector-agnostic executive education offerings rather than agriculture-specialized content.
• Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS): Established South African business school offering executive education with deep reach into African corporate and public-sector leadership. Overlaps with CALA on the executive education format but serves a broader business audience rather than agriculture-specific leaders.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-centre-for-african-leaders-in-agriculture-cala

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The Centre for African Leaders in Agriculture (CALA)