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Obama Foundation Leaders Forum Kicks Off in Africa

Published

8 years ago

July 16, 2018

Eric

The Obama Foundation launched its Leaders: Africa gathering, a 5-day convening of 200 rising leaders from 44 countries representing the public, private, and nonprofit sectors. The convening is part of a one-year leadership development and civic engagement programme designed to train, support, and connect emerging African leaders to create positive change in their communities. The convening will include plenary sessions, problem-solving workshops, leadership sessions, and skill-building trainings to increase the Leaders’ capacity to drive positive change in Africa.

The Foundation will be sharing photos and video from the gathering daily on obama.org/africa and via press release. Below is a daily schedule for the gathering.

Sunday, 15 July

Plenary Session: “Ethical Leadership in Africa,”with speakers Mo Ibrahim and Uzodinma Iweala.

Leadership Sessions:

Leadership Session 1: “Leadership of Self,” with speakers Hatim Eltayeb, Ryan Findley, and Rachel Adams.

Leadership Session 2: “Storytelling and Leadership,” with speakers Rob Burnet, Mimi Kalinda, and Taiye Selasi.

Leadership Session 3: “Leadership of Others,” with speakers Veda Sunassee and Samantha Ngcolomba.

Plenary Session: “Failing Forward: Risk-taking and the Benefits of ‘Failure,’” with Jason Njoku, Bina Maseno, Patrick Awuah, and Khanyi Dhlomo.

Monday, 16 July

Plenary Session: “Leadership in the Face of Adversity,”with speakers Graça Machel, Bogolo Kenewendo, and Thuli Madonsela.

Skill-building Workshops: Communicating for Impact: Building Effective Campaigns; Innovating in Government & Policy; Pitching for Investors; Goalkeepers: Accelerating Progress on the SDGs Fundraising; Fundamentals for NGOs; Leveraging Technology and Technological Tools; Scaling Your Organisation; and Strategising for Impact: Using Systems and Complexity Thinking for Tackling Big Challenges.

Plenary Session: “Future Trends and the Importance of Governance in Africa,” with speakers Fred Swaniker, Sangu Delle, Maryana Iskander, and Judy Sikuza.

Tuesday, 17 July

Plenary Session: “The Future of Africa: Elders Pass the Baton,”with speakers Kofi Annan, Lakhdar Brahimi, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, and Patrick Gaspard.

IdeasFest: A group ideas competition that will mobilise Leaders to engage in design thinking so that they can begin to create concrete, implementable solutions to real-world social challenges.

Wednesday, 18 July

Plenary session: “Innovating for the Next Generation,” with speakers Aliko Dangote, Trevor Manuel, John Collison, and Eleni Giokos.

Town Hall with President Obama. Livestream available at obama.org/africa and on the Obama Foundation’s Facebookpage.

Featured

Tinubu Appoints Bianca Ojukwu As Foreign Affairs Minister

Published

6 hours ago

April 29, 2026

Eric

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has appointed Ambassador Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu as Nigeria’s new Minister of Foreign Affairs.

The announcement was contained in a statement released on Wednesday by Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President (Information & Strategy).

The appointment followed the resignation of the former Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Yusuf Tuggar, who stepped down to participate in preparations for the 2027 elections.

According to the statement, Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu’s elevation marks a return to a more senior role within Nigeria’s foreign service architecture, having previously served as Minister of State in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Her new appointment places her at the helm of Nigeria’s diplomatic engagements, where she is expected to oversee the country’s foreign policy direction, strengthen international partnerships, and advance economic diplomacy objectives.

“President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has appointed Ambassador Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu as Nigeria’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, following the resignation of Ambassador Yusuf Tuggar, who stepped down to participate in the 2027 elections.

“Ambassador Odumegwu-Ojukwu previously served as Minister of State in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.”

The Presidency noted that the decision forms part of ongoing efforts to reposition Nigeria’s foreign policy framework for greater efficiency and stronger global engagement. It added that the new minister is expected to deepen diplomatic relations, promote Nigeria’s national interest, and ensure the welfare of Nigerians abroad remains a priority.

In the same announcement, President Tinubu also nominated Ambassador Sola Enikanolaiye as Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, subject to Senate confirmation.

Enikanolaiye, from Kogi State, previously served as Senior Special Assistant to the President on Foreign Affairs and International Relations. He is a seasoned diplomat with over three decades of service in Nigeria’s foreign affairs system and has held key postings in Addis Ababa, Belgrade, Ottawa, London, and New Delhi.

The Presidency said the appointments are part of broader efforts to strengthen Nigeria’s foreign policy architecture and improve the country’s global diplomatic engagement.

Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu is a lawyer, diplomat, and former beauty queen who has had a long career in public service and international diplomacy.

She was born on 5 August 1967 in Anambra State and studied law at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka. She was called to the Nigerian Bar in 1992 after attending the Nigerian Law School in Lagos.

Her academic background includes a Master’s degree in International Relations and Diplomacy from Universidad Alfonso X El Sabio in Spain, as well as postgraduate diplomas in Human Rights and International Relations from the Berg Institute, Madrid, and in Dynamics of Conflict and Cooperation from the University for Peace in Costa Rica.

Odumegwu-Ojukwu previously served as Senior Special Assistant to President Goodluck Jonathan on Diaspora Matters and later became Nigeria’s Ambassador to Spain from 2012 to 2015, where she also represented the country at the UN World Tourism Organization. She earlier served as Ambassador to Ghana.

She was appointed Minister of State for Foreign Affairs in October 2024 by President Bola Tinubu, where she supported Nigeria’s external affairs portfolio, including diplomacy, consular engagement, and international relations strategy. She has now been appointed Minister for Foreign Affairs.

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2027: Lagos APC Guber Aspirant Rejects Hamzat As Consensus Candidate

Published

18 hours ago

April 29, 2026

Eric

All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship aspirant in Lagos State, Samuel Ajose, has declared that the endorsement of Deputy Governor Obafemi Hamzat as the next governor by Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu and the Governance Advisory Council (GAC) will not stand.

GAC, regarded as the highest decision-making body of the All Progressives Congress in Lagos State, endorsed Hamzat, as its consensus candidate for the 2027 governorship election.

The decision was reached during a closed-door meeting held at Lagos House, Marina, indicating an early alignment within the ruling party ahead of the next electoral cycle.

Speaking after the session, GAC leader, Tajudeen Olusi, said members unanimously agreed on Hamzat, expressing confidence in his ability to sustain and build on the state’s developmental progress.

Olusi explained that the meeting was convened to deliberate on the party’s forthcoming primaries and assess the governorship position ahead of the 2027 elections.

Speaking about the GAC adoption of Hamzat as Lagos APC consensus 2027 governorship candidate on Arise News on Tuesday, Ajose said that Sanwo-Olu and others are trying to force President Tinubu into making a decision.

“I don’t think our president, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, is giving in to what they are doing.

“What they are just trying to do is to coerce him into taking a decision, and I don’t think that decision will stand.”

Featured

2027: Obi, South-East Leaders Meet Jonathan Behind Closed Doors

Published

2 days ago

April 28, 2026

Eric

A presidential aspirant of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Peter Obi, on Monday, consulted former President Goodluck Jonathan on the state of the nation ahead of the 2027 general elections.

Obi disclosed this after a closed-door meeting with the former president in Abuja. He led a delegation of South-East political leaders to the meeting, including serving and former lawmakers, as well as former Governor of Imo State, Achike Udenwa.

Briefing journalists after the meeting, the former Anambra State governor said the visit was part of ongoing consultations ahead of the 2027 elections.

“Notable South-East leaders have come in consultation with our respected former president. That is basically what it is—on the 2027 elections and, overall, about Nigeria,” Obi said.

Obi has been holding meetings with political heavyweights across the country as part of ongoing consultations ahead of the ADC presidential primary for the 2027 general elections.

Last week, the 2023 presidential candidate of the Labour Party was in Bauchi with South-East leaders, where they held a closed-door meeting with Bala Mohammed.

Speaking after the meeting, Obi said the visit was focused on building national unity and strengthening cooperation across regions.

“My purpose is to solicit the support and cooperation of His Excellency and the stakeholders of Bauchi and the North-East in our quest to unite this country. We want to have a united country to build a future for our children.

“The country cannot continue the way it is today; we are headed in the wrong direction, and we need to reverse that for everybody. That is the simple purpose of why we are here – to seek the support of the stakeholders of Bauchi in building a new Nigeria that will be of benefit to all,” he added.