2 weeks ago
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Two of Jamaica’s leading academic figures are working on a national rollout strategy aimed at equipping Jamaican women to thrive in the digital era, following their participation in a United Nations Development Programme (UNDP-UN) Global Leadership Academy held in Marrakesh, Morocco, in December 2025.
Management Institute for National Development (MIND) CEO Dr. Ruby Brown and University of the West Indies (UWI) Mona Professor Gunjan Mansingh were among more than 60 women leaders from politics, institutions and civil society who took part in the four-day programme. The event, hosted by the UNDP and the United Nations Electoral Assistance Division (UNEAD), brought together participants from five continents.
As delegates, Dr. Brown and Professor Mansingh focused on advancing digital equity and inclusive leadership in the age of artificial intelligence. The programme emphasized the development of personalized leadership journey maps and concrete action plans designed to strengthen women’s leadership in the digital space within institutions and communities in Jamaica. Their plans are expected to form the basis for national implementation strategies, allowing lessons from the academy to be shared while scaling its impact across sectors and generations.
Beyond the 2025 cohort, the initiative aims to establish a global alumni network of women leaders who will continue to collaborate, mentor and support one another.
UNDP Resident Representative Dr. Kishan Khoday described the academy as more than a training exercise. “This is not just training; it is a movement for future-ready, values-driven leadership,” he said. “By investing in women’s digital leadership, the Academy contributes directly to inclusive governance, stronger institutions, and the achievement of the SDGs.” He added that the UNDP Multi-Country Office in Jamaica was pleased to nominate Dr. Brown and Professor Mansingh to help advance women’s participation in the digital age.
Dr. Brown said the experience was both timely and practical, strengthening her approach to inclusive, future-ready public leadership. She noted that lessons from the academy will support leadership development at MIND, particularly through the implementation of the Public Sector Learning and Development (PSL&D) Policy and its learning framework, while embedding leadership values and behaviours to sustain transformation across the public service.
Professor Mansingh said the academy challenged her long-held views on leadership. “The conversations went far beyond theory,” she said, adding that she gained practical frameworks and tools for transformational leadership. One key takeaway, she noted, is that technology, when guided by diverse and inclusive leadership, can be a powerful driver of systemic equality.
The immersive programme featured expert sessions, labs and storytelling circles built around four AI-enabled curriculum pillars: transformational leadership, strategic communications, intergenerational leadership, and leading in a VUCA (volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous) world.
The academy’s mandate is shaped by evidence of persistent exclusion of women, youth and persons with disabilities from systems that shape the future. Globally, women hold only 10–11% of technology leadership roles, 22% of AI jobs and 27% of parliamentary seats. At the same time, artificial intelligence is advancing faster than institutions can govern it, with disproportionate impacts on women, girls and marginalized communities. Data cited by the programme show that 75% of girls and young women report exposure to harmful online content, while youth internet access ranges from 40% in Africa to 97% in Europe, highlighting deep global divides in education, employment and civic participation.
The 2025 edition of the Global Leadership Academy was co-designed with national partners in Morocco, including the Moroccan Parliament, reinforcing its focus on institutional leadership and nationally led transformation.
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