On the evening of October 31, 2024, as a brisk London wind rustled across Westminster, a rare warmth filled the crimson-carpeted corridors of the House of Lords. Inside those storied walls, beneath Gothic arches and the gaze of history’s giants, Harambeans and Guilds convened to celebrate the highest honor within our Alliance: Selfless acts of service, recognized through the Aboyeji Medal of Service, a tribute to those whose selfless contributions embody the deepest values of our community. It was an evening both intimate in spirit and monumental in meaning.
Presiding over the evening was none other than Lord Dr. Michael Hastings of Scarisbrick, CBE, a statesman whose grace spans sectors and continents. From Davos to Bretton Woods to the National Prayer Breakfast with President Obama, Lord Hastings has long stood as a patron saint of Harambeans. He is, as Garikai Matambo H’15 playfully declared that night, “Defender of the Faith, Commander of the British Empire, and, by the grace of God, King of the Harambeans.” With his customary generosity, Lord Hastings once again opened the doors of Parliament and his heart to a gathering of builders, believers, and boundless ambition.
A Hallowed Space for a Sacred Ideal
To step into the House of Lords is to enter a place suspended between time and consequence. For centuries, these chambers have been a bastion of wisdom, where appointed stewards—free from the partisan frenzy of the Commons—debate, reflect, and consider the long arc of history. This is a place that moves slowly but sees far.
It is only fitting, then, that Harambeans gather here, not to legislate, but to celebrate the highest ideal of our Alliance: servant leadership. As guests passed through Central Lobby, they walked beneath the watchful statue of Winston Churchill, whose bronze feet are worn smooth by reverent pilgrims. A fitting quote from the statesman hovered in the air:
“We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.”
In that spirit, for the fifth time in fourteen years, we transformed this iconic chamber into a sanctuary of gratitude, to honor not those who seek applause, but those who quietly, consistently, pull together.
A Tradition Carved in Service
The Aboyeji Servant Leadership Medal, named after Harambean Iyinoluwa Aboyeji H’10, is the highest honor our community bestows. But its significance isn’t found in its gleam, it’s in its grounding. It celebrates Harambeans and allies whose quiet acts of service have strengthened the Alliance not through fanfare, but through faithfulness. It is a medal forged in humility and lifted by legacy.
Why Aboyeji H’10? Because his life, his work, and his unwavering belief in our shared mission exemplify what it means to serve. As one of the founding Harambeans, he proved that building empires begins not with ego, but with an open hand and a generous spirit.
And so, in a room wrapped in crimson and conviction, we honored six remarkable individuals who, like Aboyeji, have quietly shaped the destiny of our movement:
The 2024 Honorees of the Aboyeji Servant Leadership Medal
- Lord Dr. Michael Hastings, CBE
For a decade of unwavering service, for expanding our global coalition, and for opening his home, both literal and symbolic, to our mission.
- Pardon Makumbe, CRE Ventures
For co-founding a venture firm that has invested in Harambeans and proved to the world that Africa’s opportunities are not just real—they are investable.
- Esther Nwachukwu H’23,
For shaping the 17th Class of Harambeans with boundless energy, all while growing her own venture, demonstrating the harmony of legacy-building and leadership.
- Francesco Tronci, Nova
For co-authoring the Harvard Business School case study on our Alliance, ensuring that our story becomes part of how future leaders learn to lead.
- Professor Tim Weiss, Imperial College
For offering profound academic insight, framing the Alliance not as a luxury spa, but as a gym where real benefits come from real engagement.
- Jonathan Rosenthal, The Economist
For casting a global spotlight on our work with his 2015 article, “Nigeria’s Secret Weapon”, helping the world see what we’ve always known: that the future of Africa is being built by its own.
A Ceremony of Reflection and Renewal
As the medals were draped and the readings shared, part poetry, part homage, one felt the weight of time and tradition pressing gently on the moment. These weren’t mere tributes. They were testimonies. To decades of service. To stories that quietly shaped our own. To the truth that to lead is, first and always, to serve.
The evening was as Harambean as they come: earnest yet celebratory, ceremonial yet full of laughter. With each honoree, we were reminded that legacy is not earned in headlines, it is earned in handshakes, hard work, and quiet moments of care.
When the final bell tolled, it marked more than an end. It renewed our covenant. Five times in fourteen years, in the House of Lords, we gather, not for spectacle, but for sustenance; not to relive the past, but to recommit to a future built on shared sacrifice and collective strength.
And as footsteps faded through Churchill’s Lobby, we left with full hearts and clear minds, reminded that “the Africa our generation desires can be won. It exists. It is real. It is possible. It is ours”.