By Dolapo Aina
The Nigeria Governors’ Forum is a non-partisan coalition that was created to enhance collaboration among the executive governors in Nigeria. The NGF operates under the premise of creating a sustainable level of cooperation between State and Federal Government. The NGF is a non-profit, non-partisan association of the thirty-six democratically elected governors of Nigeria. Its vision is to promote inclusiveness, democratic values, good governance, and sustainable development at the sub-national level. The activities of the Forum are driven by its administrative and technical arm, the NGF Secretariat, a policy hub that gives direction and meaning to the NGF. The Secretariat is also a resource centre for sub-national data and policies.
Whilst the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) is the leading United Nations organisation fighting to end the injustices of poverty, inequality and climate change. Working with a broad network of experts and partners in over one hundred and seventy countries, UNDP helps nations to build integrated and lasting solutions for people and the planet. In Nigeria, UNDP provides technical and policy development support to the Federal Government of Nigeria and supports the implementation of interventions across various thematic areas to meet the medium to long-term national development priorities and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
And so, it was that from Thursday, August 24 to Saturday, August 26, 2023, the Nigeria Governors’ Forum, in partnership with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), convened a three-day Executive Leadership Retreat for first and second term Nigerian Governors in Kigali, Rwanda under the invitation of President Paul Kagame, President of the Republic of Rwanda. The adrenaline-packed retreat was dedicated to fostering dialogue on reimagining leadership and leveraging innovative technology, drawing inspiration from Rwanda’s transformative journey. The retreat themed ‘Reimagining leadership in a fast-changing world’, the distinguished participants mostly State Governors, their policymakers and special advisers, representing several Nigerian States, engaged in brainstorming sessions that explored Rwanda’s successful investment destination transformation in digital technology, urban planning and socio-economic transformation, capping off with a candid four-hour (initially scheduled for two hours) private dialogue with President Kagame at the iconic Kigali Convention Centre on Saturday, August 26, 2023.
Asishana Okauru, who is the Director General of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum Secretariat stated that, “As a non-partisan organization and policy arm, the Nigeria Governors’ Forum organised this gathering with the objective of fostering transformative leadership and facilitating honest, frank and open dialogue to shape the discourse on these cross-cutting themes.”
Mohamed Yahya, UNDP Resident Representative in Nigeria highlighted that the retreat “offers an opportunity to reimagine Nigeria’s leadership to achieve transformation and nationwide sustainable development”. The retreat also focused on learning through dialogue with sessions (some were closed to non-Governors) on rethinking leadership, leading systems, leading self and leading to deliver, as well as learning through observation with an interactive programme exploring Rwanda’s emergence as an investment destination through visits and exchanges with innovation hub Norrsken House were the Governors were amazed by the number of start-ups embedded therein; the Rwanda Development Board and the Mayor of the City of Kigali.
“It has been an engaging retreat. I am glad a significant number of governors are here to be part of it so that, together, we can use the knowledge acquired”, remarked Governor Oluseyi Abiodun Makinde, Governor of Oyo State and Vice Chair of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum. “Our discussions have equipped us with adaptive leadership strategies and identifying pathways to effective governance and nationwide sustainable development.”
According to the Osun State Governor, Governor Ademola Adeleke during the visit, he stated that, “We are taking steps to improve the ease of doing business in Osun, ensuring that startups with groundbreaking ideas have the support they need to flourish. These startups hold the potential to address local challenges with fresh solutions, driving not just economic progress, but social betterment as well. To encourage start-ups that will address local problems in Osun State, I have identified five steps that we need to take to improve the ease of doing business. These steps include: Simplifying the process of registering a business in Osun State, providing access to funding for start-ups, creating a conducive environment for businesses to thrive, providing training and mentorship for budding entrepreneurs and encouraging collaboration between businesses and the government.” The Governor is hopeful that the visit will spark a nationwide revolution in leadership, starting with his counterparts that also undertook the executive leadership retreat trip. “Just as Rwanda’s success story inspired me, I believe that our commitment to change will inspire the other governors across Nigeria. Together, we can set the stage for a new era of cooperative governance that transcends political boundaries. From Rwanda’s orderly airport to Osun’s pledge for a greener future, the lessons are clear: visionary leadership, sustainability, and innovation are the cornerstones of progress.”
The Nigeria Governors’ Forum has become a major link between government, development partners and private organizations as they seek to reach all 36 States in Nigeria. In previous years, the level of cooperation has increased significantly, as have relations between the States and the Federal Government, particularly on collaborative pathways to overcoming commonly shared developmental challenges. Building on these successes, the Executive Leadership Retreat aims to provide the incoming governors with new strategies to tackle development challenges within their respective states.
Several hallmarks of the retreat were the visit to Norrsken in downtown Kigali. Norrsken is reputed to be one of the largest start-ups hubs on the African Continent. And, a visit to the Kigali Genocide Memorial in Gisozi. Another hallmark of the retreat was an evening dinner hosted by Rwanda Development Board and the private sector in Rwanda.
The evening event was moderated by the renowned Ms. Femi Oke (who has a her own primetime show on Al Jazeera called The Stream) and had as panellists Masai Ujiri, the President of Toronto Raptors, Dr Aderemi Banjoko (a Nigerian farmer in Rwanda) and Mr Frank, a Rwandan official from Zipline Rwanda. The conversations were quite in-depth and intense where Masai Ujiri revealed he lived in Zaria, in Kaduna for nineteen years and his childhood friend whom he grew up with, is now the new Governor of Zamfara State (Governor Dauda Lawal was also present in the hall. And how Nigeria can leverage her humungous sporting talents and monetise sports. He also reeled out and broke down how much having an arena can generate for a state or country. Masai further stated that a state does not need more than one stadium but needs an arena for it is arenas that generate more profits for the state. On the other hand, Dr Banjoko talked about his rationale for setting up in Rwanda and the Rwandan official from Zipline talked about how Zipline has been able to operate in three states in Nigeria.
Another hallmark of the retreat was the attendance of President Paul Kagame at one of the closed-door sessions of the Nigerian Governors’ Executive Leadership Retreat, organised by the Nigeria Governors Forum and UNDP. President Kagame delivered remarks and participated in an interactive four-hour session with the Nigerian Governors only in attendance on “Leadership in Shaping the Future of Pan-Africanism and Integration in a Changing World.” The retreat, which convened nineteen Nigerian State Governors for three days in Kigali, focused on digital and socio-economic transformation, local revenue generation, managing diversity and social cohesion, urbanization and climate change. There were fifteen Governors and three Deputy Governors who arrived in Kigali for the executive leadership retreat. The retreat concluded with a Presidential dinner hosted by President Paul Kagame.
