Allies in Africa

When Aletta Rochat, DTM, became Toastmasters’ International President in 2025, she was the first person from Africa to hold that role. And when Olayinka Hakeem Babalola became Rotary International’s President in 2026, he was just the second African to head up that organization since its founding in 1905.

The two history-making leaders are mining their cultural connection to highlight the bond between Toastmasters and Rotary and how each can benefit the other, not only in Africa but throughout the world. The two organizations formed a strategic alliance in 2019.

“Both organizations are built around transforming their members,” notes Babalola. “Developing leaders while improving communities and changing lives.”

Babalola lives in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Nigeria. He began his one-year presidential term on July 1, 2026. Rochat, a resident of Cape Town, South Africa, finished her term in August 2026.

At the invitation of Rochat, President Babalola spoke at a collaborative Toastmasters program on May 25, 2026, an annual celebration of African unity. Praising the talent and leadership that exist in Africa, he expounded on how Toastmasters and Rotary are helping to improve people’s lives.

The online event, called “Africa Leads the Way!,” also featured African business leaders and officials from the South African Chamber of Commerce in the United Kingdom, where many people from Africa live and work.

In turn, Babalola has invited Rochat to speak and provide a Toastmasters perspective at the popular All Africa Zone Institute in Kampala, Uganda, to be held November 26–28. The event is the largest gathering of Rotary members on the continent.

“So we are really hoping that we can help each other in a very tangible way,” says Rochat, who hopes there will be other opportunities for her and Babalola to collaborate in Africa—and for other Toastmasters and Rotary leaders to team up around the world.

Both organizations have a proven track record of helping people across the globe improve their personal and professional lives. Rotary has more than 1.2 million members around the world. Toastmasters can benefit from connecting with Rotarians and learning from their model of humanitarian service, says Rochat, noting that Toastmasters can use their public speaking and persuasive skills to impact their own communities.

Rotarians, who are dedicated to such efforts as fighting disease and providing clean water to poor countries, can learn from the leadership and communication skills practiced in Toastmasters. The relationship is a mutually beneficial one, stress Rochat and Babalola.

“Together, our members gain both the ability to lead and the ability to communicate their vision clearly and effectively,” says the Rotary President. “Toastmasters helps people find their voice, Rotary helps people use that voice to create lasting impact across the globe, in our communities, and in ourselves.

“Together, we can develop leaders who not only speak well but connect well and serve well.”

Early Rotary Experience

Rochat will always have a soft spot for Rotary. When she was 17, she participated in a Rotary International Youth Exchange program, moving from her home of South Africa to live with host families in North Bay, Ontario, Canada, for a year and go to school there. The experience was life-changing, she says, helping her build confidence and independence.

“I had the opportunity to share what it was like to be a South African with all these people,” she recalls. “I mean, I remember volunteering to [talk to] any Rotary family in North Bay. I said, ‘If you would like to have dinner with me, I’d love to come over and have dinner.’ And in that way, I got to meet all these people and get a glimpse of what their lives were like.

“So it was incredibly enriching. It was an amazing experience. And that was all through Rotary.”

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