General News
Aig-Imoukhuede Foundation Unveils 74 Public-Sector Leaders for Sixth Leadership Programme Cohort
By Iyojo Ameh
The Aig-Imoukhuede Foundation has selected 74 public-sector professionals from across Africa for the sixth cohort of its Aig-Imoukhuede Public Leaders Programme, a leadership development initiative delivered in partnership with the Blavatnik School of Government, University of Oxford.
The programme is designed to equip public-sector leaders with the skills, perspectives and networks required to strengthen leadership and drive institutional reforms across government.
The new cohort comprises public servants from Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, Egypt, Malawi and Zambia, with Botswana and Eswatini joining the programme for the first time.
With the addition of the two countries, the programme’s geographical reach has expanded to 12 African countries since its inception, further strengthening its network of public-sector reformers across the continent.
The Foundation said what began five years ago as an initiative focused on strengthening public-sector leadership has evolved into a continental network of more than 300 reformers who share a common training experience and increasingly confront similar governance and institutional challenges.
Speaking on the new cohort, Executive Vice-Chair of the Aig-Imoukhuede Foundation, Ofovwe Aig-Imoukhuede, said the programme was helping to build connections among public servants working to improve governance in different African countries.
“Public servants from twelve countries across Africa now have access to the same world-class faculty, the same learning experience and a network of peers facing many of the same reform challenges,” she said.
Aig-Imoukhuede said the network was particularly important for public servants seeking to implement reforms within their institutions.
“That matters because reform can be lonely work when it feels as though you are the only one in your organisation pushing for change. The Aig-Imoukhuede Public Leaders Programme reminds public servants that they are not working in isolation but as part of a wider community of reformers across the continent,” she said.
The sixth cohort will undergo a six-month programme comprising virtual coursework, an intensive residential week delivered by faculty members of the Blavatnik School of Government, University of Oxford, and a reform project.
Under the reform component, participants are expected to identify challenges within their ministries, departments or agencies, develop practical solutions and implement the projects after returning to their respective institutions.
The Foundation said alumni of the programme had so far led more than 300 reform projects across Africa.
A recent impact survey also found that 62 per cent of alumni surveyed had assumed expanded leadership responsibilities after completing the programme, according to the Foundation.
The organisation said the programme’s emphasis on applying learning to practical public-sector challenges had produced reforms across several areas of governance and public service delivery.
Among the initiatives cited is the development of Nigeria’s first sexual harassment policy for the National Youth Service Corps, which was approved in 2024 and established formal reporting and disciplinary procedures for about 400,000 corps members deployed annually.
In Lagos State, another alumni-led initiative focused on improving access to primary healthcare in a hard-to-reach riverine community.
According to the Foundation, the initiative increased healthcare outreach sessions from four to 12 per month, while more than 540 outpatient visits were recorded alongside an increase in childhood immunisation.
The Foundation said the sixth cohort would build on these achievements as participants deepen their leadership capabilities, broaden their perspectives and apply their learning to public institutions and the citizens they serve.
