The center was initiated by President Museveni while at the Nelson Mandela Commemorative Lecture in August 2017, Rita Namisango, the  Makerere Public Relations Officer stated.

Namisango further stated that president’s idea highlighted the need to create a cross–generation platform “Ekyoto” that “aims at tapping into the rich experiences of African leaders in different fields and in different national contexts”.

She added that the initiative will create a long-lasting legacy for the former Tanzanian leader.

“The Leadership Centre will take its point of departure for action from his life-long held belief that “if real development is to take place, the people have to be involved”.