ADF STAFF
The concepts of service and leadership were foremost in the mind of Zambian Army Sgt. Maj. Monday Nonde as he participated in the recent African Senior Enlisted Leaders Conference (ASELC).
The conference focused on the empowerment of non-commissioned officers (NCOs) and the professional development of enlisted forces.
“Servitude and leading through example are the best methods of leadership for achieving goals and objectives,” the Zambian Army’s seniormost NCO said during a panel discussion.
Nonde was among the more than 125 military leaders from 27 African countries who took part in the 5th ASELC from September 10 to 13 in Lusaka.
Zambia is the first African nation to host the conference, which is co-hosted annually by the United States Africa Command (AFRICOM).
Zambian Army Commander Lt. Gen. Sitali Dennis Alibuzwi shared his enthusiasm and pride in hosting the event, during which discussions ranged from mutual challenges and opportunities on the continent, crisis response, rule of law, protecting natural resources, addressing instability and strengthening security cooperation.
“Hosting this big conference, where over 25 countries from within Africa and across is not a small thing, and Zambia has not taken this for granted,” he said to participants. “Let’s all work together and ensure that we discuss issues that will strengthen our military services in our respective countries.”
The theme of ASELC 2023 was “Empower, Delegate, Trust.”
As an NCO, Nonde came away feeling empowered.
“Leadership skills that among others include agility, judgment, innovation, interpersonal tact and domain knowledge are critical for providing direction, implementing plans and motivating the troops,” he said. “When followers trust their leaders, they are more willing and able to go the extra mile to help their colleagues and organization. Trust also enables them to feel safe to speak up and share their ideas.”
Other participants said the conference reinforced the importance of NCO’s in spreading knowledge and training through the ranks.
“If you have done your best in training those under you, then you do not have to worry about how they will execute any tasks assigned to them,” Kenya Air Force Sgt. Maj. Dennis Talengo said.
“Inclusiveness is a form of investment that not only prepares an NCO to handle more responsibility but also makes them feel valued as a member of a team,” said Staff Sgt Betty Kaluwa, a journalist in the Zambian Army deployed in a public relations role.
AFRICOM Commander Gen. Michael Langley echoed the conference’s theme.
“If you look at officers that lead militaries, we use our right-hand advisors, that’s senior military, that’s senior enlisted,” he said to participants. “Empower, delegate, and trust is what we will continuously do. These are the best practices that we extend to our staff noncommissioned officers.”
“A strong empowered noncommissioned officer corps is truly the backbone of any military. I learned this firsthand growing up, as my father proudly served as a senior enlisted leader in the United States Air Force. I learned from him and then learned from every noncommissioned officer that I work with.”
AFRICOM launched its Africa Enlisted Development Strategy in 2018 to bolster the enlisted development processes on the continent.
Along with host Zambia, this year’s conference emphasized the contributions of Botswana, Ghana, Kenya, Liberia, Malawi and Senegal in building capacity to train other African countries and provide more options for NCO development.
“We’ve had really deep, robust discussions about hard leadership choices and the importance of ethical leadership, mentoring and delegation strategies that make better military leaders,” AFRICOM Senior Enlisted Leader Sgt. Maj. Michael Woods said.
“We’ve had large group discussions and have also done more-focused breakout sessions where smaller groups can have in-depth discussions about what works, what doesn’t work and how we can better support each other to train the next generation of competent and committed enlisted leaders.”
