2025 AIG PLP Closing Ceremony
What does it really take to transform public service in Africa?
From bold ideas to practical reform projects and powerful insights from national leaders, this year’s AIG PLP Closing Ceremony offers a compelling look at how change is being driven across the continent. Read more to explore the highlights and meet the leaders shaping Africa’s future.
This year’s Closing Ceremony celebrated 69 participants from Nigeria, Cameroon, Kenya, Tanzania, and Zambia, marking the successful completion of the fifth cycle of the AIG Public Leaders Programme (AIG PLP).
The ceremony featured a series of insightful speeches that highlighted both the purpose and urgency of the programme. Our Chairman spoke on the strong link between capable, accountable public leadership and Africa’s progress. He emphasised the need for disciplined execution, courageous leadership, and measurable improvements in how governments serve citizens.
The keynote address delivered by Honourable Dr Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo provided participants with practical frameworks to tackle inefficiency and translate their learning into real impact. Sharing examples from his own reform efforts, he showed participants how leadership can translate into measurable change.
As Nigeria’s Minister of Interior, Dr Tuni-Ojo championed major transformations in the Nigerian public sector. One of his most notable achievements was the overhaul of the processes of the Nigeria Immigration Service, where he cleared a backlog of over 200,000 passport applications in two weeks using existing staff and resources, simply by identifying and eliminating bottlenecks. Additionally, he introduced a digital passport renewal system for Nigerians in the diaspora, deployed e-gates at major airports to reduce human contact and curb corruption, and expanded passport personalisation to over 90 locations nationwide. In his address, he highlighted three core principles of effective service delivery: challenging the status quo, investing in capacity building for himself and his team, and leading with evidence-based decision making. He urged the PLP graduates to apply these principles to create tangible impact in their own institutions. Click here to watch the full address.
A key highlight of the ceremony was the presentation of reform projects, an integral part of the programme through which participants tackle critical service delivery challenges within their institutions. This year’s outstanding reform project was awarded to Sarah Ukemenam-Ezendu, Assistant Director at Wuse District Hospital, for her project, “Incremental Adoption of a Digital Medicines Workflow in Wuse District Hospital, FCT.” Her work explored the governance and operational barriers to adopting digital medicine systems, demonstrating that successful digital transformation in healthcare requires not only technology but also strong governance, institutional readiness, and ethical leadership.
The event was attended by a distinguished group of dignitaries, including the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Dr Bosun Tijani; immediate past Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Dr Folasade Yemi-Esan; representative of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation; representative the Executive Governor of Adamawa State, Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri as well as State Heads of Service, Permanent Secretaries, and members of our Leadership Council.
As members of Cohort Five join our growing alumni network, we remain committed to developing the next generation of capable, reform-minded public sector leaders. Applications for the sixth cohort are open, and we warmly invite public servants across Africa who are passionate about driving meaningful change to apply.
Apply for the AIG Public Leaders Programme Here