NGF Unveils 10-Year Plan for Leadership Academy to Strengthen Governance

The Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) has approved a 10-year strategic plan for the establishment of the NGF Academy and Leadership Centre as a flagship directorate within its secretariat to strengthen public-sector leadership and improve governance across the country.

The initiative, covering 2026 to 2036, is designed to provide executive capacity development, applied research, governance advisory services, digital innovation and structured peer-learning opportunities for political and administrative leaders across the 36 states.

The NGF Director-General, Abdullateef Shittu, disclosed this in a statement on Monday, explaining that the academy would serve as a centre of excellence for subnational leadership development and governance innovation.

According to him, the initiative seeks to build competent, reform-oriented and future-ready leaders capable of addressing emerging governance and development challenges.

He said the academy would cater to three levels of state leadership: executive and strategic leadership, cabinet leadership and institutional leadership.

The executive programme would target serving, incoming and outgoing governors and their deputies through leadership training, policy retreats and structured induction programmes. The cabinet component would focus on commissioners, secretaries to state governments, chiefs of staff, special advisers and local government chairmen.

The institutional leadership programme, meanwhile, would support permanent secretaries, heads of service, directors-general, agency heads and other senior public officials in strengthening administrative continuity and institutional performance.

Shittu said the academy's curriculum would cover strategic leadership, public-sector ethics, negotiation, adaptive management, change implementation and sector-specific governance challenges.

These programmes would be delivered through 12 sector hubs covering areas such as public finance, health, agriculture, infrastructure, trade and investment, security, digital innovation and climate.

He added that the institution would establish innovation and foresight laboratories to develop practical governance solutions through research, data analysis, case studies, policy briefs and design thinking.

The academy would also provide technical advisory services to state governments in institutional reforms, fiscal sustainability, investment promotion and performance management.

On its delivery structure, Shittu said the institution would combine online learning with physical executive training sessions and peer-learning platforms.

He explained that its electronic Learning Management System would incorporate virtual classrooms, mobile and offline learning access, artificial intelligence-enabled learning tools, data analytics, performance-tracking dashboards and digital certification.

The implementation framework is divided into four phases, beginning with strategic planning, institutional arrangements, curriculum development and pilot programmes in 2026.

The second phase, running from October 2026 to June 2027, would focus on strengthening operational structures, developing the digital learning platform, recruiting faculty and establishing strategic partnerships.

Between July 2027 and June 2030, the academy plans to expand its leadership programmes, applied research and governance advisory services.

The final phase, covering July 2030 to June 2036, would involve nationwide programme delivery, the establishment of regional learning hubs and the operationalisation of a leadership endowment and innovation fund to ensure long-term sustainability.

Shittu further disclosed that the academy would collaborate with national and international institutions, including the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies, Mo Ibrahim Foundation, World Bank Institute, United Nations Development Programme and UNICEF.

He said the institution also had long-term ambitions to extend its operations beyond Nigeria and become a leading centre for subnational governance development across Africa.

The NGF said the academy would initially operate within its existing institutional structure, with plans to become a full-fledged subsidiary of the forum in the future.

The initiative is expected to provide a common platform for strengthening public-sector leadership, improving policy delivery and promoting effective governance across Nigeria's subnational governments.