By Abubakar Yunusa
The Aig-Imoukhuede Foundation, in partnership with the University of Oxford’s Blavatnik School of Government, has graduated the fifth cohort of 69 participants of its Africa leaders pogramme.
The ceremony, held in Abuja, was attended by senior government officials, private sector players, development partners, alumni and faculty members, alongside the 69 participants from Nigeria, Cameroon, Egypt, Kenya, Malawi, Tanzania and Zambia.
The participants went through an intensive six-month executive education programme designed to strengthen governance and improve public service delivery across Africa.
During the training, the participants developed reform projects to tackle real institutional challenges within their ministries, departments and agencies.
So far, the foundation has trained more than 300 senior public servants across seven African countries, namely Nigeria, Ghana, South Africa, Kenya, Cameroon, Zambia and Tanzania.
Speaking at the event, Nigeria’s Minister of Interior, Dr Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, urged the graduates to prioritise meaningful reforms in their countries.
“The greatest asset of Africa is Africans. If we understand the true meaning of service, Africa will have a different story to tell,” he said.
Tunji-Ojo added that leadership must focus on long-term impactful programmes rather than short-term gains, warning that inefficient public institutions are the cause of underdevelopment, insecurity and economic challenges in the continent.
Chairman of the Aig-Imoukhuede Foundation, Aigboje Aig-Imoukhuede, said the programme represents a deliberate effort to strengthen accountability and institutional performance across the continent.
“Africa’s future depends on the quality of leadership within its public institutions,” he said, noting that transforming governance systems requires leaders who understand complexity and are ready to drive reform from within.
He told the graduates that “the real work begins now,” urging them to execute reform initiatives at scale for lasting impact on citizens’ lives.
The programme, launched in 2021, combines virtual learning with a residential module, culminating in hands-on reform projects aimed at eliminating bottlenecks and improving service outcomes.
According to the foundation, the alumni, many advancing into higher leadership positions, have initiated hundreds of reforms thereby widening the programme’s influence on public sector performance.
Meanwhile, application for the sixth cohort has opened and will run till April 12, 2026 for eligible public servants from English-speaking African countries wishing to participate in the leadership development programme.
