General News
NASRDA Assistant Director Wins 2026 Aig-Imoukhuede Oxford Scholarship
The Aig-Imoukhuede Foundation has announced Joy Ugonma Olayiwola, an Assistant Director at the National Space Research and Development Agency (NASRDA), as the recipient of its 2026 Master in Public Policy (MPP) Scholarship to the University of Oxford.
Olayiwola will pursue the Master of Public Policy programme at the Blavatnik School of Government, University of Oxford, under the scholarship established to equip exceptional Nigerian public servants with advanced policy knowledge, global exposure and practical skills for public service reform and improved service delivery.
With the 2026 award, the number of Nigerian public servants supported by the Aig-Imoukhuede MPP Scholarship to study at Oxford has risen to 34.
According to the Foundation, previous scholars have applied their learning to areas including healthcare delivery, institutional reform and efforts to combat human trafficking, strengthening the growing community of public sector professionals supported through its leadership development initiatives.
Olayiwola, an alumna of the Aig-Imoukhuede Foundation Public Leaders Programme, has more than 17 years of public service experience. At NASRDA, she leads the Smart Geospatial and ICT Unit at GeoApps Plus Limited, with expertise in digital systems, data-driven solutions and institutional capacity development.
Commenting on the scholarship, Executive Vice Chair of the Aig-Imoukhuede Foundation, Ofovwe Aig-Imoukhuede, said the initiative reflects the Foundation’s belief that improving public service requires investment in the people working within the system.
She said the scholarship would give public servants opportunities to broaden their perspectives, strengthen their capacity and approach complex challenges with greater insight and judgement.
Olayiwola said she looked forward to engaging with public servants from different countries at Oxford and learning from their experiences of what has worked, what has failed and what they are doing differently.
She said her goal was to bring Nigeria into the global conversation with an open mind and focus on identifying approaches that could work within the Nigerian context.
The Aig-Imoukhuede Scholarship is one of the Foundation’s leadership development initiatives, delivered in partnership with the University of Oxford’s Blavatnik School of Government.
Its broader leadership development portfolio also includes the Aig-Imoukhuede Public Leaders Programme and the Aig-Imoukhuede Visiting Fellowship, which support public servants at different stages of their careers to strengthen leadership, policy and institutional capabilities.
