The Aig-Imoukhuede Foundation has selected 74 public-sector professionals for the sixth cohort of its executive leadership initiative, run in partnership with the Blavatnik School of Government at the University of Oxford. The new intake includes participants from Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, Egypt, Malawi and Zambia, with Botswana and Eswatini joining for the first time, extending the programme's reach to twelve African countries since its launch.
Programme Structure and Participants
The six-month programme combines virtual coursework with an intensive residential week, both delivered by Blavatnik School faculty. Each participant is required to design a reform project to implement within their own ministry, department or agency. The foundation, named after its founders, continues to focus on raising the quality of public-sector leadership across the continent.
Ofovwe Aig-Imoukhuede, Executive Vice-Chair of the Aig-Imoukhuede Foundation, highlighted the significance of the growing network. "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. "That matters because reform can be lonely work when it feels as though you are the only one in your organisation pushing for change."
Alumni Impact and Reform Projects
Since the programme began, alumni have completed more than 300 reform projects across Africa. A recent impact survey found that 62 per cent of alumni have taken on expanded leadership responsibilities after completing the training. These projects have addressed a range of governance challenges, from policy development to healthcare delivery.
One notable alumni-led reform is Nigeria's first sexual harassment policy for the National Youth Service Corps, approved in 2024. The policy introduced formal reporting and disciplinary procedures covering roughly 400,000 corps members deployed every year. In Lagos State, another alumni initiative improved primary healthcare access in a hard-to-reach riverine community, increasing outreach sessions from four to 12 per month. The effort recorded more than 540 outpatient visits and a rise in childhood immunisation rates.
Expanding Continental Network
What started five years ago as an effort to improve public-sector leadership in Nigeria has grown into a network of more than 300 reform-minded officials from across Africa. The addition of new countries to each cohort has broadened the range of governance contexts represented, creating a richer exchange of ideas among participants.
Aig-Imoukhuede said the programme reminds public servants that they are not working in isolation. "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 added. The foundation said it looks forward to supporting the sixth cohort as participants build on their capabilities and apply what they learn to the institutions and citizens they serve.
