Each year, something remarkable happens across the JA Africa network. Young girls who have demonstrated exceptional leadership through the JA Company Program begin a journey that takes them far beyond the competition stage. It is not simply a reward for strong performance; it is a deliberate investment in the potential of Africa’s girls.
That journey leads them to Ghana.
Now in its third edition, the Delta Air Lines LEAD Camp continues a growing tradition of pouring into Africa’s next generation of women leaders. What makes the camp distinctive is not only who attends, but what unfolds once they arrive. It is a carefully designed space where confidence is stretched, perspectives are widened, and leadership begins to feel tangible.
This year, 61 girls from eight countries, Eswatini, Ghana, Mauritius, Nigeria, Rwanda, South Africa, Uganda, and Zambia, will travel to Ghana for a week-long leadership and empowerment experience. Each participant arrives having already shown courage and promise. LEAD Camp is built on the belief that potential must be nurtured intentionally to flourish.
The 2026 experience begins on March 2 and builds toward the celebration of International Women’s Day under the shared theme, “Give to Gain.” At its core, the theme reflects a simple but powerful idea: growth accelerates when knowledge, opportunity, and encouragement are shared. Leadership, in this context, is not a solo journey. It is relational. It is catalytic. And it multiplies when young people are equipped to lift others as they rise.
Throughout the week, participants will move through a carefully curated leadership journey. They will strengthen emotional intelligence and self-awareness, sharpen public speaking and communication skills, and learn how to build a purposeful digital presence. Exposure sessions will open their eyes to technical and vocational career pathways, including industries where young African talent remains underrepresented. Conversations around tertiary education will help demystify next steps, while mentorship moments with accomplished women will make future possibilities feel real and reachable.
Yet some of the most important shifts at LEAD Camp happen between the sessions.
They happen in the quiet moments when a girl begins to see herself differently.
In the peer conversations that build lifelong networks.
For the first time, someone says, “You belong in this room.”
Since its inception, the Delta Air Lines LEAD Camp has reached more than 80 girls. With this year’s cohort, the number will rise to over 140 young leaders across the continent. The ripple effects are already visible. Alumnae have secured full- and partial-scholarship awards. Some have become the first in their families to enter tertiary education. Others have stepped more boldly into STEM and leadership pathways they once viewed from a distance.
As one alumna, Chioma Lucy, reflected:
“Because of the Delta Air Lines LEAD Camp, I found the courage to pursue engineering despite the insults and discouragement I faced for being a girl.”
Graduates are formally inducted into the 10 Million African Girls (10MAG) community, where the momentum continues. Through this growing pan-African network, participants gain access to ongoing mentorship, scholarship opportunities, career guidance, leadership development experiences, and a powerful sisterhood that supports their ambitions long after they leave Accra. The goal is clear: sustain the spark ignited at LEAD Camp and translate it into long-term pathways for success.
Because the true impact of LEAD Camp is not confined to one week in Ghana. Each participant returns home carrying new confidence, expanded networks, and a stronger sense of purpose. They become catalysts in their schools, their communities, and their countries.
This is the quiet power of Give to Gain.
When one young person is equipped, many more are reached.
As the third edition unfolds in Ghana, one thing is clear: the future of Africa is being shaped not only in institutions or boardrooms, but in intentional spaces where young leaders are seen, stretched, and supported to rise.
