Former Vice President Yemi Osinbajo has tasked graduates of the Aig-Imoukhuede Foundation Public Leaders Programme to to transform the public service and champion systemic change in Africa.
Osinbajo who was speaking at the graduation of the fourth cohort of the programme in Abuja, described the graduates as Public Service Scientists.
The AIG Public Leaders Programme is an executive education programme for public servants, delivered in partnership with the University of Oxford’s Blavatnik School of Government.
The closing ceremony, honoured participants from Nigeria, Ghana, and Uganda who completed the intensive training designed to strengthen public service delivery across Africa.
The former Vice President in his keynote address said, “Just as technologists invent groundbreaking tools, you must create systems that ensure health, safety, education, and opportunity for every citizen—not as a privilege, but as a promise.”
He urged participants to leverage their training to dismantle systemic barriers and reimagine equitable service delivery.
In her commendation speech, the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Mrs. Didi Walson-Jack, praised the Foundation’s role in reshaping governance.
According to her, “The Aig-Imoukhuede Foundation has shown commitment to building a public sector that prioritises citizens. This programme equips leaders with world-class skills to drive innovation and align with our vision of an efficient, ethical, and citizen-centric workforce.”
As part of the programme, participants developed and began implementing reform projects to tackle systemic challenges within their Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs), driving improvements in public service delivery.
Chairman of the Aig-Imoukhuede Foundation, Aigboje Aig-Imoukhuede, emphasised the urgency of transforming Africa, stating, “Our challenge is not merely about accelerating processes; it is about catching up. Catching up demands more than intelligence—it requires a transformative mindset and a willingness to break new ground. This programme equips public servants to tackle systemic bottlenecks while promoting collective action—the power of us—to drive impactful change across the continent.”
Dignitaries in attendance included the Senate President, represented by Senator Gershom Bassey; representatives of the Governors of Delta and Kano States; representatives of the Director General of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC); the Secretary to the Government of the Federation; and the Heads of Service of Ekiti and Nasarawa States.
Graduating participants will join a growing network of alumni who have been trained since 2021. The Foundation remains committed to its mission of training 3,000 public sector leaders by 2030, equipping them with the skills needed to drive impactful reforms. Applications are now open for the fifth cohort of the programme.