TEXEM director urges African business leaders to evolve from enterprise to ecosystem

Caroline Lucas, Director Special Projects at the United Kingdom based leadership development organisation, TEXEM UK has urged African leaders and CEOs to evolve from building enterprises to architecting ecosystems.

Lucas made the call in a statement on TEXEM’s website, www.texem.co.uk, adding that true leadership in the age of ecosystems requires the maturity to collaborate with their competitors.

“We stand at a definitive inflection point in the narrative of African business.

“For decades, the dominant playbook for growth was built on the premise of “fortress management” that is, the pursuit of competitive advantage through ownership, control, and internal efficiency.

“We were taught that to win, we must build higher walls, protect our intellectual property, and consolidate our supply chains.

“However, the reality of 2026 demands a radical departure from that mindset. The era of the “stand-alone advantage” is effectively over,” she said.

Lucas said that in an increasingly digitized and interconnected African market, value is no longer generated in isolation.

“When you operate as a silo, you are not just limiting your reach; you are actively handicapping your potential.

“Today, power has shifted from the entity to the network. Value does not reside in the hardware you own or the singular product you manufacture. It emerges, dynamically and fluidly, from the connections you cultivate,” she said.

Lucas said the modern African leaders must shift their focus from living in a fortress to embracing an ecosystem.

“Think of your organisation not as a self-contained unit, but as a node in a vast, intelligent grid of partners, platforms, and customers.

“You should prioritize integration over independence. Your competitive edge is now defined by the quality and density of your external relationships. It is the ability to plug into, share, and co-create with others that will determine your resilience,” the TEXEM director said.

She asserted that true leadership in the age of ecosystems requires the maturity to collaborate with your competitors.

Lucas added that by pooling resources and standardizing infrastructures, whether in fintech, logistics, or energy, CEOs create a larger, more stable market for everyone.

“The role of the CEO is evolving. You are no longer just a commander of internal assets; you are now an orchestrator of external potential.

“Your job is to align disparate stakeholders toward a common value proposition that none of you could have realized alone,” she said.

Lucas said that the future does not belong to the largest firms or the deepest coffers but to the most connected and to those who recognize that by elevating the entire ecosystem, they ensure their own enduring success.

“Let us stop trying to win the market. Let us start winning with the ecosystem.

“As you consider the specific ecosystems your organization currently inhabits, which external partnership or platform collaboration do you believe holds the greatest untapped potential for your growth over the next three years?,” she asked.

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).