Reform in Action:
Real Stories of the People Transforming Africa
Read the Stories. Feel the Impact.
How Our Alumni Are Transforming Public Service Across Africa
From healthcare to education, from policy design to national security, public servants are not waiting for perfect systems. They are building better ones from within.
Each story in these pages represents a real problem that a public servant chose not to walk past. They applied what they learned, worked with the resources available, and created change that others can see and feel.
This is what becomes possible when leadership meets innovation and purpose.
Law, International Relations & Security Services
When Public Servants Work Better, Citizens Feel the Difference
Olusola Odu, Chief Administrative Officer, Nigerian Institute of Science Laboratory Technology
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Olusola Oluyemisi Odu addressed this from within. She introduced a Core Competency Model that helped staff and supervisors clearly understand their roles, responsibilities, and shared expectations. Teams began to align, decisions became clearer, and collaboration improved across the board.
Beyond the institute, this model offers a practical, low-cost approach that any public institution can adopt to improve performance, without waiting for additional funding.
IMPACT HIGHLIGHTS
Replaced a 96.2% top-down management culture with a formal 4-cluster competency framework — Strategy, People, Performance, and Execution, giving every staff member a clear behavioural standard for their role
Triggered internal restructuring of operational departments, with supervisor-staff conversations on career development and job clarification emerging for the first time
Structured, non-appraisal dialogue between supervisors and staff was introduced as a standing practice Zero-budget model, replicable across any public institution without additional funding.
Health And Social Services
Bringing Healthcare to a Riverine Community Cut Off from the City
Oluwaseun Oladeinde, Director of Planning, Research & Statistics, Lagos State Health District V, Lagos State Ministry of Health
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Oladeinde Ebenezer took his learning beyond the classroom. He led a reform effort focused on strengthening Igbologun's primary healthcare system through staff training, facility upgrades, improved access to the Basic Healthcare Provision Fund and Lagos State Health Insurance (Ilera Eko) Scheme, and sustained community engagement.
The results were transformative. Outreach sessions increased significantly, immunisation coverage improved, and more residents began accessing care consistently.
IMPACT HIGHLIGHTS
Outreach sessions increased from 4 to 12 monthly
BCG, Pentavalent, and Measles vaccinations for children rose from zero recorded doses to peaks of 180, 123, and 153 doses, respectively, within the project period
Over 540 outpatient visits were recorded at a facility that was previously underutilised by the community
Strengthened trust in healthcare delivery within the community.
Creating a More Coordinated Patient Discharge Process
Oluwabusayo Babatunde, Consultant Paediatrician, Federal Medical Centre, Epe
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Examples of such gaps, according to the report, include the retention of surgical instruments or medical devices in children, the omission of essential take-home medications, the failure to provide follow-up appointment dates, and the failure to provide clear recovery instructions.
Oluwabusayo Deborah Babatunde introduced a structured discharge checklist alongside nurse-led child patient interviews designed to identify and resolve care gaps before the children left the hospital. Of 52 children discharged in the first month of the project implementation, 43 (83%) now had all their care gaps caught and resolved before leaving, compared to virtually none before the intervention, since there was no structured system at all.
The reform improved coordination, strengthened follow-up care, and achieved strong adoption among healthcare workers with minimal resistance.
IMPACT HIGHLIGHTS
83% of children's discharges from the hospital were captured using the new checklist
In the first month alone, 43 out of 52 children had their discharge gaps identified and resolved in real time before leaving the hospital
Families of 10 discharged children received telephone follow-up calls, through which 2 were found to have missed follow-up appointments that were then immediately scheduled
Nursing staff embraced the checklist immediately and willingly, with none of the resistance that typically comes with change, describing it as a critical safety net.