African leaders and CEOs have been advised to shift from command to coordination if they want to win in the present age of ecosystems.
Giving the advice in a statement on www.texem.co.uk, Caroline Lucas, Director Special Duties at TEXEM UK, the United Kingdom based leadership development organisation, says in Africa, the era of the solitary, command- and- control CEO should be forgotten.
‘For decades, traditional leadership models taught us that power is synonymous with control, that is, controlling assets, directing organizational hierarchies, and dictating terms within the four walls of an enterprise.
‘But today, the most formidable challenges and lucrative opportunities on the African continent do not respect corporate boundaries.
‘Whether we are scaling fintech across cross-border regulatory frameworks, building sustainable agricultural value chains, or driving renewable energy transitions, no single entity possesses all the pieces of the puzzle,’ the director said.
Expressing the need for influence over authority, Lucas said in an interconnected ecosystem, one cannot command partners, suppliers, regulators, or even competitors.
She said that ecosystem leadership relies entirely on influence, not control adding that to lead effectively in this new paradigm, African CEOs must transition from being architects of internal hierarchies to becoming orchestrators of external networks.
‘Success no longer stems from having a heavier hand on the wheel; it stems from your ability to pull the right strategic levers. You must learn to lead through persuasion, shared vision, and mutual trust,’ Lucas explained.
While calling on leaders to align diverse incentives,
she said the ultimate test of an ecosystem leader lies in the art of coordinating such incentives.
Talking on the reality of partnerships, Lucas noted that every stakeholder in an ecosystem, from grassroots innovators and venture capitalists to government bodies and multinational corporations, operates with entirely different motivations, metrics of success, and risk appetites.
She said the leader’s role is not to force alignment, but to design a gravitational pull where diverse goals converge into a shared outcome adding that the leader must answer a critical question for every partner: What is in this for them?
Lucas said that the African advantage in the scenario is that Africa’s business ecosystem is uniquely dynamic, defined by agility, community -driven commerce, and leapfrogging innovation.
‘Leaders who master the delicate balance of aligning disparate incentives will unlock unprecedented scale, turning fragmented markets into unified engines of prosperity.
‘True leadership in the age of ecosystems is measured not by how much you control, but by how many people choose to follow your vision into a shared future,’ the director said.
The statement also announced that TEXEM will be hosting a programme from 24th to 27th August 2026 in York, United Kingdom titled ‘Winning in the Age of Ecosystems’ where African leaders and CEOs will acquire more insights on how to excel in an age of ecosystems.
Three reputable TEXEM faculty, Professor Wim Vanhaverbeke, Professor Nic Cheeseman and John Peters, are expected to deliver the programme.
Professor Wim Vanhaverbeke is a global authority on Digital Transformation, a Professor (Emeritus) of Digital Strategy and Transformation at the University of Antwerp and Antwerp Management School recognised worldwide for advancing open innovation and ecosystem management.
On industry – focused research, his work explores how digital strategies and innovation ecosystems reshape sectors such as healthcare, agriculture, and energy.
With respect to prestigious academic appointments, he has held visiting professorships at top institutions including the National University of Singapore, Zhejiang University (China), ESADE Business School (Spain), and Politecnico di Milano (Italy).
As an influential scholar, he has published in leading journals such as Organization Science, Research Policy, Technovation, and California Management Review.
He is also a renowned author and editor who has co-edited four books on open innovation and authored Managing Open Innovation in SMEs (Cambridge University Press); Editor-in-Chief of Technovation, the leading innovation management journal.
He advises global corporations and public organisations on ecosystem strategy, sustainability – driven innovation, and digital transformation; delivers executive and MBA programmes worldwide.
As a thought leader bridging academic and practice, he combines rigorous research with practical insight to help leaders harness collaboration and innovation for competitive advantage in the digital era.
Professor Nic Cheeseman is a former Professor and Director of the African Studies Centre at the University of Oxford.
He has advised world leaders including the Secretary-General of the UN, Presidents of nations as well as Global CEOs.
He is a leading scholar on democracy, elections and governance in Africa. Also a regular media commentator and editor of Democracy in Africa.
He has advised governments and international organisations on democratic accountability, good governance, strategic leadership, geopolitics and electoral integrity.
John Peters (RAF officer) is a former Chair of Association of MBAs (Accreditors of top Business Schools such as Harvard, London Business School, Stanford and IMD).
Also a world-renowned Resilience expert with documentary on his life winning Independent Documentary of the Year and was also nominated for a BAFTA award.
He is a former RAF fast jet pilot and Gulf War Prisoner of War; and later Director of Performance at Aston Business School.
He is an international keynote speaker leadership under pressure and leading in turbulence.
Interested participants in the York programme are expected to click on the link: https://texem.co.uk/winning-in-the-age-of-ecosystems/
The following testimonials from past delegates of TEXEM programmes were also shared in the statement.
‘I found that it’s quite a new approach of workshop than I’m used to because I’ve attended so many workshops organized by other organizations. But, I found that the approach made by TEXEM is quite different.’ ‘…first of all when I found that the first day of the program would be visits to the Shakespeare’s birthplace and also to visit a chocolate factory, I was skeptical. So, I said, I’m in love with Shakespeare but I just said what is it to do with business or whatever it is.
But then, after the visit and then to the two places and coming back and then I could see the collaboration between what I’m supposed to know and I really could understand the issues there,’. – Previous TEXEM delegate. Ambassador Mustafa Sam Non-Executive Director Jaiz Bank.
‘TEXEM is a very serious consultancy organization. I’m rating them as such because of the caliber of resources that have been mobilized to interact with us to discuss all the issues that are needed in building our leadership capacity further, in ensuring that theTax Appeal Tribunal becomes the best adjudicator of taxes in Africa and even globally. So I am very, very impressed with them, and I recommend them to other institutions that are serious about ensuring effective leadership
and management,’. -Previous TEXEM delegate. Prof. Kabiru Isa Dandago Bayero, Hon Commissioner Tax Appeal Tribunal.
‘So many things have inspired me because I have a new look at what leadership is all about now, and then I think the operation and also aspects of that has to do with what I need to do and make decisions at the right time that involves what the future holds. It’s something that really has inspired me, so many ideas; of course I can’t thank the faculties enough you know in terms of what they have done,’. -Previous TEXEM delegate, Muhammad Bello Aliyu, Registrar/CEO, Computer Professional Council of Nigeria (CPN).