With the objective of empowering leaders of civil society organisations, the EISA Chad office kicked off the ACTE project partners’ capacity building training series with a session on associative leadership and management.
From the outset, facilitator Gilbert Morba set the tone: “What makes an associative leader? A leader is not merely someone who manages day-to-day operations, but rather the person who mobilizes, guides, and inspires around a shared vision.” According to Morba, an associative leader forges a collective ambition, channels diverse energies, and lays the groundwork for lasting commitment. Leadership, he emphasized, demands an ethical stance to earn trust, the discernment to balance urgent needs with long-term impact, and the steadfastness to persevere when initial enthusiasm wanes. “True leadership isn’t improvised; it’s built, nurtured, and shared.”
In a succinct intervention, Programs Director Stéphane Mondon reminded participants that “elections will occur in four or five years, but the real preparation starts now. What we do today directly shapes those future processes.” He urged partners to relentlessly maintain their monitoring role, for it is through continuous engagement that sustainable change is achieved.
Discussions quickly spotlighted a critical challenge: member retention and loyalty. To address this, Gilbert outlined two essential steps. First, foundational texts must be fully internalized: “Before handing out a membership card, ensure every new member understands your statutes, mission, vision, and values.” Second, true ownership comes from participation: “Involving each member in decision-making reinforces their sense of belonging and fosters enduring commitment; valuing everyone’s ideas ensures no one feels sidelined.” Gilbert also stressed that voluntary service and selflessness form the very bedrock of any non-profit structure.
Building on this, Baidessou Soukolgue, EISA Executive Director, clarified the notion of ‘member quality.’ “I’m certain many of you aren’t fully acquainted with the texts governing your associations,” he began, adding that “a member’s quality isn’t measured by the number of activities they attend, but by their grasp of the association’s values and their active contribution to its goals.”
Upholding this standard of quality is vital for governance, collective memory, and the resilience of any associative organization.
Another challenge emerged: the temptation, once funding arrives, to marginalize “inconvenient” members in favour of one’s own circle. Such nepotism undermines transparency, fairness, and group cohesion, eroding trust from within.
Emotional intelligence is also discussed as a core aspect of effective leadership. A good leader must be able to recognize emotional signals within their team, channel tensions constructively, and create spaces for open dialogue. When a leader fails to manage their own anxiety, it can infect the work atmosphere and make the environment unnecessarily tense or even unproductive. Emotional awareness and regulation are not optional. They are essential for building a healthy, motivated, and resilient team.
This inaugural session represents a pivotal step toward building a robust network of associations, one that embodies responsibility, inclusion, and social transformation. Because leadership is more than just a word, it’s a powerful catalyst for change, today and tomorrow.
This blog post was made possible thanks to financial support from the European Union under grant agreement No. NDICI AFRICA/2022/435-927. The opinions expressed here are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the EU.
