A welcomed development and breath of fresh air for Nigerians and especially to the delight of civil servants as the Aig-Imoukhuede Institute and the Africa Initiative for Governance have announced the commencement of the AIG Public Leaders Programme in partnership with the University of Oxford’s Blavatnik School of Government.
The founder, and chairperson of the Aig-Imoukhuede Institute, had earlier disclosed that the Institute initiated the programme with the sole objective of building the capacity of civil servants in the Nigerian public sector.
In a statement released to announce the launching of this wonderful opportunity and initiative, it was clearly revealed that the programme, will allow fifty qualified Nigerian civil servants to participate in a leadership programme, which would be tutored by experienced facilitators and teachers from the University of Oxford that will span for the duration of seven-weeks.
“As part of our objectives to drive public sector transformation, we have been working with the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation (OHCSF) to build capacity in the Nigerian public sector,” Aig-Imoukhuede said.
“Accordingly, we have leveraged our long-standing relationship with one of the world’s leading schools of government, the University of Oxford’s Blavatnik School of Government, and are bringing their expertise to Nigeria so they can impart vital skills and knowledge to our next generation of public sector leaders.
“We are pleased to offer 50 academic scholarships worth 11,500 GBP per participant for all Nigerian public servants who are successful in the application process.”
It was also confirmed that interested parties were encouraged to visit the Aig-Imoukhuede Institute’s website to download the programme brochure for further information on the application, which will close on March 18, 2021
Moreso, Ngaire Woods, dean of the Blavatnik School of Government, said: “We are delighted to extend our long-standing partnership with the Africa Initiative for Governance by bringing our Public Leaders Programme to Nigeria. We design our executive programmes for public leaders so that participants learn from world-renowned scholars, outstanding practitioners, and one another.
“We also take into account the current context for public sector leadership – in 2021, this means supporting heads of public organisations in renewing their leadership for the post-pandemic world.”
Meanwhile, reacting to this new development and the positivity and opportunities that this programme can avail, Folasade Yemi-Esan, head of the civil service of the federation, said;
,”We are very excited that AIG, in partnership with the University of Oxford, is offering this unique opportunity for Nigerian public servants to participate in this world-class programme. We look forward to the positive impact that it will have on the overall performance of the public sector”.
The statement, also addressed the fact that classes will be hosted online and in Abuja to expose participants to vital leadership skills, conceptual frameworks and practical tools that will empower them to be more effective as they lead their departments and organisations.
Gift Joseph Okpakorese
Staff writer
