Recognising the growing need for competent, ethical, and visionary leadership in Religious Institutes, the African Sisters Education Collaborative (ASEC), through the Sisters Leadership Development Initiative (SLDI), held a month-long online Administration Track programme from July 1 to 31, 2026.
The programme brought together 23 Women Religious from 15 Congregations across Ghana for an intensive formation aimed at strengthening their administrative, leadership, and management capacities for effective ministry.
The sessions were facilitated by Dr. Mark Mantey, Bro. Prof. Michael Amakyi, CSC, Mr. Michael Osei Nkrumah, and Sr. Callista Tetteh, CSC, each bringing a wealth of knowledge and practical experience.
The programme opened with Bro. Prof. Michael Amakyi, CSC, introducing participants to selected papal encyclicals and their relevance to contemporary religious life.
He highlighted Magnifica Humanitas of Pope Leo XIV, inviting participants to reflect on the Church’s call to uphold human dignity, promote justice, foster solidarity, and exercise servant leadership in every aspect of administration and ministry.
Following this spiritual foundation, participants were taken through the overview, objectives, expectations, and learning outcomes of the Administration Track, preparing them for an engaging month of learning and practical application.
One of the key highlights of the programme was the session on Stewardship, Accountability, and Integrity, where participants were reminded that leadership in religious life is fundamentally a sacred trust.
They reflected on the responsible management of human, financial, and material resources, emphasizing transparency, ethical decision-making, and accountability as indispensable qualities of every administrator.
The course further explored Organizational Management, helping participants understand the importance of planning, organizing, staffing, directing, and controlling organizational resources to achieve institutional goals effectively. Closely linked to this was Effective Leadership, which emphasized servant leadership, vision, teamwork, emotional intelligence, and the ability to inspire others while remaining faithful to the congregation’s charism.
Recognizing that effective administration depends on healthy relationships, the facilitators also led sessions on Communication Skills, highlighting active listening, constructive feedback, conflict resolution, and professional communication as essential tools for fostering unity and collaboration within religious communities and apostolic ministries.
Participants were also introduced to the Habits of Effective People, reflecting on the personal discipline, time management, proactivity, continuous learning, and self-leadership required of administrators entrusted with leadership responsibilities.
Mr. Michael Osei Nkrumah facilitated the module on Project Cycle Management, guiding participants through the various stages of project development—from identifying community needs and analysing problems to planning, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation.
Practical exercises on problem analysis, stakeholder identification, logical frameworks, indicators, assumptions, and sustainability equipped participants with valuable tools for managing development and pastoral projects.
Bro. Prof. Michael Amakyi, CSC, later facilitated sessions on Human Resource Management, where participants explored recruitment, staff development, performance management, motivation, mentoring, succession planning, conflict management, and labour relations.
The discussions emphasized that people remain the greatest resource of every organization and therefore deserve respect, fairness, and opportunities for growth.
Dr. Mark Mantey led participants through Resource Mobilization, Project Proposal Writing, and Project Sustainability. He emphasized that successful ministries require strategic planning, strong donor relationships, sound governance, diversified funding sources, and well-written project proposals capable of attracting support while ensuring long-term sustainability.
In the final phase of the programme, Mr. Michael Osei Nkrumah facilitated sessions on Entrepreneurship, Networking and Collaboration, and Evaluation.
Participants were encouraged to embrace innovation, identify sustainable income-generating opportunities, build strategic partnerships, and regularly evaluate programmes to improve effectiveness and ensure lasting impact.
Throughout the four-week programme, participants actively engaged in discussions, assignments, and collaborative learning, sharing experiences from their congregations and learning from one another. Beyond acquiring administrative knowledge, the programme strengthened their confidence to lead with competence, integrity, accountability, and a renewed commitment to service.
As the programme concluded, participants expressed sincere gratitude to the ASEC team for investing in the formation of women religious.
The knowledge and practical skills acquired are expected to enhance leadership effectiveness, strengthen institutional governance, improve project implementation, and promote sustainable ministry within their respective congregations.
The 2026 SLDI Administration Track reaffirmed that effective leadership is not merely about managing institutions but about faithfully stewarding God’s mission with wisdom, accountability, compassion, and a spirit of collaborative service.
By Sr. Vera Woelinam Tay, HHCJ (Catholic Sister Communicators Network, Ghana (CASCON-GH)
