The Aig-Imoukhuede Foundation has announced 74 public-sector professionals selected for the sixth cohort of its Aig-Imoukhuede Public Leaders Programme, an executive leadership 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 needed to strengthen governance, drive institutional reforms and improve public service delivery.
The new cohort comprises public servants from Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, Egypt, Malawi and Zambia, while Botswana and Eswatini are joining the programme for the first time.
With the latest additions, the programme’s geographical reach has expanded to 12 African countries since its inception, building a continental network of more than 300 public-sector reformers.
Speaking on the new cohort, Executive Vice-Chair of the Aig-Imoukhuede Foundation, Ofovwe Aig-Imoukhuede, said the growing network would help public servants overcome the isolation often associated with driving reforms within government institutions.
“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 programme was important because public-sector reform could sometimes be a lonely undertaking, particularly for officials seeking to introduce changes within their organisations.
She added that the programme reminds participants that they are “not working in isolation but as part of a wider community of reformers across the continent.”
The six-month programme will combine virtual coursework with an intensive residential week delivered by faculty of the Blavatnik School of Government, University of Oxford.
Participants will also undertake reform projects designed to address practical challenges within their respective ministries, departments and agencies.
According to the Foundation, alumni of the programme have so far led more than 300 reform projects across Africa, while a recent impact survey showed that 62 per cent of alumni surveyed had assumed expanded leadership responsibilities after completing the programme.
The impact of the programme is also reflected in reforms undertaken by its alumni in different areas of public service.
One example is the development of Nigeria’s first sexual harassment policy for the National Youth Service Corps, which was approved in 2024 and introduced 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.
The initiative increased healthcare outreach sessions from four to 12 per month, resulting in more than 540 recorded outpatient visits and increased childhood immunisation.
The Foundation said it would continue to support members of the sixth cohort as they develop their leadership capabilities, broaden their perspectives and apply their knowledge to challenges facing public institutions and the citizens they serve.
The Aig-Imoukhuede Foundation is a public-sector-focused philanthropic organisation founded by Aigboje and Ofovwe Aig-Imoukhuede. It supports public-sector reform through financing, strategic advisory services and capacity-building programmes, while collaborating with affiliate organisations to promote sustainable institutional change across Africa.
