Bukola Afeni
The Aig-Imoukhuede Foundation, in collaboration with the Africa CEO Forum, Mohammed VI Polytechnic University (UM6P), the Arab Bank for Economic Development in Africa (BADEA), and the African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank), has announced the launch of LEAD.
This is a groundbreaking pan-African initiative designed to make excellence in public policy the cornerstone of sustainable economic transformation across the continent.
The announcement was made in a statement issued by the Aig-Imoukhuede Foundation.
According to the foundation, LEAD aims to promote excellence in African public policy by selecting 50 high-potential young civil servants from across the continent each year qnd also seeks to cultivate a pan-African network of public sector leaders who are committed to driving impactful projects and reforms.
The Founder of the foundation, Aigboje Aig-Imoukhuede, emphasized the importance of investing in Africa’s public service capacity.
“The human capital of Africa’s public sector is one of the continent’s most underutilized resources. Training, equipping, and empowering public sector leaders is a vital mission. Through this initiative, we are joining forces to build a high-performing, citizen-focused public service, driven by results.”
The body noted that despite nearly two decades of continuous economic growth, Africa still suffers from significant deficits in public service delivery, which undermine development and the quality of life for its 1.4 billion citizens.
“The initiative responds to an obvious fact: despite nearly two decades of almost uninterrupted growth, Africa continues to suffer from a deficit in public services which significantly inhibits its economic development and the quality of life of its 1.4 billion inhabitants.
“Considering that many other economies in the Global South, with comparable GDPs, have undergone impactful transformations during the same period, demonstrating that well-designed regulatory, fiscal, and logistical choices can bring about major change, this initiative aims to bridge the gap by putting sound economic governance back at the core of Africa’s development agenda.
“The initiative’s primary objective will, therefore, be to promote excellence in African public policy among some 50 high-potential young civil servants from across the continent each year, drawing inspiration from concrete examples of global success, such as Brazil, which has created a universal healthcare system while digitizing its public services; “Indonesia, has become a global leader in nickel, thanks to a local transformation strategy; and India, which has revolutionized financial inclusion with its Aadhaar digital identity program.
“The initiative will also try to build a pan-African network of young public decision-makers who share a common vision of public service excellence and the ambition to help make big projects, like the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), happen .
“This is in addition to willingness to work together to deal with upcoming demographic, climate, and industrial challenges, making public leadership the main economic infrastructure on the continent,” the statement reads.”
