SPPG to Solve Africa’s Leadership Deficit

 Mary Nnah

The School of Politics, Policy and Governance (SPPG) has expressed its readiness to change the course of leadership in Nigeria and Africa as a whole by grooming great leaders. SPPG is an unconventional school of the research-anchored #FixPolitics initiative designed to transform the quality of political and public leadership in Nigeria and the rest of Africa.

The innovative leadership school is invested in developing a massive pipeline of value-based and disruptive thinking political-class equipped with the requisite knowledge, skills, and mindset to solve complex leadership problems to reposition Africa in the 21st century.

The SPPG has a strong tradition of evidence-based governance which is rooted in the findings of the #FixPolitics research by Dr. Obiageli Ezekwesili as Richard von Weicker Fellow at the Robert Bosch Academy.

Empirically, the study concluded that the dismal performance of public leadership in Africa is the primary cause of the classic ‘paradox of plenty’ whereby the continent with an abundant natural and human resources is also the poorest, lagging behind other regions in every measurable indicator of human and economic development.

Ezekwesili’s research also established that “there exists an entrenched political culture that mirrors the traits of monopolists whereby politicians’ public servants in Africa tend to inherently subvert the public good by elevating the personal and parochial interests above the collective well-being of citizens without fear of consequences.

“This distortion of public leadership is at the centre of the underperformance of Africa on all global development rankings of governance. In other words, Africa’s governance is bad because the politics which fundamentally distorts incentives is bad.”

In what Ezekwesili refers to as the cycle of research-ideation-design-execution, the SPPG was founded as the core vehicle for the #FixPolitics solution that raises a new political and public leadership class to mark a disruption- that is, a radical departure from the perverted status quo. The curriculum and related programmes of the SPPG were empirically generated and designed to teach and reverse the current distorted political culture by filling the gaps in character, competence and capacity learning of public Nigeria’s and ultimately the rest of Africa’s public leadership. The SPPG has the goal of transforming politics in Nigeria and the rest of Africa by building a massive base and pipeline of a new value-based and disruptive-thinking political class with the requisite knowledge and skills to lead effectively.

Meanwhile, application for SPPG’s late admission application for the Class of 2023 will close on Saturday, October 22, 2022, the institute said yesterday.

SPPG, established in 2020, is building a pipeline of new and disruptive-thinking political class to transform the quality of public leadership in Africa. The school is a unique public leadership preparation initiative.

The school educates present and future leaders that are committed to public good and who are ready to be stewards of the well-being of all Nigerians. It delivers an unconventional multi-disciplinary curriculum aimed at producing a massive base of ethical, competent and capable public leadership with the requisite knowledge and skills to solve complex development problems in the continent.

“So far, SPPG has graduated two cohorts of students as #PioneerClassof2021 (160) and #Classof2022 (133). Consistent with the mission of thesppg.org, upon graduation, many of our students run for elective offices across various parties, while others pursue leadership careers in the public and private sectors, as well as civil society,” the statement added.

It also noted that in furtherance of SPPG’s mission and commitment to equity and diversity, the late admission window was opened for those who wish to apply for the #Classof2023. The October 22 deadline for applications using the window is strict.

Admission to the SPPG is highly competitive through a rigorous selection process conducted virtually. Prospective students are advised to visit thesppg.org for further details.

All applicants must have a minimum educational qualification of a B.Sc/BA or HND. They must be able to demonstrate commitment to public leadership. The ability to successfully execute projects will be an advantage.

Applicants are also required to upload the following to the online application portal: academic qualification (BA, B.Sc or HND), Master’s or any other post-graduate certificate (if applicable), personal statement (not more than 750 words), curriculum vitae (not more than two pages), details of two recommenders (peer, community leader or employer, who must have known them for a minimum of six months and can vouch for their character and suitability for the programme).

To fast-track the admission process, applicants are expected to fulfill all admission requirements on or before October 22, 2022.