Bukola Afeni
The Aig-Imoukhuede Foundation has announced the 74 public-sector professionals selected for the sixth cohort of the Aig-Imoukhuede Public Leaders Programme.
The Executive Vice-Chair, Aig-Imoukhuede Foundation, Ofovwe Aig-Imoukhuede, said 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.
“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.
“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 program is an executive leadership initiative delivered in partnership with the Blavatnik School of Government, University of Oxford.
The Foundation noted that the programme will equip participants with the skills, perspectives and networks they need to strengthen public-sector leadership and drive reform.
“The new cohort draws public servants from Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, Egypt, Malawi and Zambia, with Botswana and Eswatini represented for the first time, bringing the programme’s reach to twelve African countries since its inception.”
“What began five years ago as an effort to strengthen public sector leadership has grown into a continental network of over 300 reformers sharing a common training ground and, increasingly, common challenges.”
Each new country adds a different governance context, enriching the exchange of ideas and expanding perspectives of what reform can look like across different systems.
The sixth cohort will follow the same six-month structure that has shaped its predecessors: virtual coursework and an intensive residential week delivered by faculty of the Blavatnik School of Government, University of Oxford, alongside a reform project that participants design and take back to their ministries, departments and agencies.
The alumni of the program have led more than 300 reform projects across the continent.
“A recent impact survey found that 62 per cent of alumni surveyed have since taken on expanded leadership responsibilities since completing the programme.”
According to the Foundation, the programme’s emphasis on applying learning to real public sector challenges is reflected in the reforms led by alumni across different areas of public service. “It includes the development of Nigeria’s first sexual harassment policy for the National Youth Service Corps, approved in 2024, which established formal reporting and disciplinary procedures for approximately 400,000 corps members deployed annually.”
Another notable impact is an alumni-led initiative in Lagos State to improve primary healthcare access in a hard-to-reach riverine community, which increased outreach sessions from four to 12 per month, with more than 540 outpatient visits recorded and an increase in childhood immunisation.
The Aig-Imoukhuede Foundation looks forward to supporting the leaders as they deepen their capabilities, broaden their perspectives and apply their learning to the institutions and citizens they serve, as the sixth cohort begins their journey.
The Aig-Imoukhuede Foundation is a public sector-focused philanthropic organisation founded by Aigboje and Ofovwe Aig-Imoukhuede on the belief that developing exceptional public service leaders is essential to driving meaningful reforms that improve the lives of citizens. The Foundation works to transform public service delivery across Africa by supporting reform initiatives through financing, strategic advisory services, and capacity-building programmes, while collaborating with affiliate organisations to drive sustainable institutional change.
