Moghalu: Why mindset reform is key to good governance in Africa

By Abubakar Yunusa

Kingsley Moghalu, former deputy governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), says mindset reform is important to good governance in Africa.

Speaking on Tuesday during a press briefing of the African School of Governance (ASG) in Lagos, Moghalu said there is a battle for transgenerational reforms in Africa.

In October, Moghalu was appointed as the first president of the African School of Governance in Kigali, Rwanda, a groundbreaking graduate institution aimed at transforming leadership and governance across Africa.

Moghalu said the institution is ready to raise the next generation of African leaders who will bring the change the continent needs.

“We’ll teach about managing corruption. There will always be corrupt people. They exist everywhere in the world. However, in the advanced countries that have done well, they are not the system’s drivers. But in some countries in Africa, they are at the centre. In some countries, it’s as if corruption is the core of the system,” Moghalu said.

“We’ll address this with governance education. We have to look at the cost of corruption to your business, family, society, and the country. The best way to combat corruption is through ethics education and value-based education. You’ll find that in most advanced countries. Train a child the way he should go, and when he grows up, he won’t depart from it.

“So, we have to teach values and ethics very early. We’re in a battle for transgenerational reforms. Many people are already too far gone. Let’s be realistic; we cannot rescue them. We’ll try for a new generation to arise that will be different from their parents. So, teaching values and ethics is very important to emphasise the role of accountability in combating corruption. Nothing disciplines the mind like consequences.”

Moghalu said as the inaugural president of ASG, his vision is to nurture a prosperous and peaceful Africa where purpose-driven leaders are equipped with mindsets, knowledge, and skills to drive sustainable development for all.

“The ASG is more of a practical school rather than a school of theory. So, we are going for sound people with practical experience. The bar is high; we are looking for excellence. We’ll not compromise excellence for diversity. But we believe we can find excellence in diversity. Our medium-term goal is to see the first cohort of our university graduate two years later,” he said.

“Then, we begin to assess ourselves. By five years, we will make a judgment on whether ASG has arrived and is making an impact or not. Then, we begin to look at our alumni. Ten years from now, we should be looking at our impact across the continent. We also want to maintain and improve our standards.

“We expect scepticism from external observers because this is not something that has been done before, where you have a collection of African statesmen and a university president giving birth to their vision. We believe in mindset reform as the primary goal of leadership and governance education in Africa.

“We’ll counter this scepticism by bringing in inspirational teachers who can inspire people in a way that overcomes cynicism.”