Obasanjo floats institute to address Africa’s leadership challenges

Former President, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, on Tuesday, announced the establishment of Olusegun Obasanjo Leadership Institute.

Speaking through a statement issued by his Special Assistant on Media, Kehinde Akinyemi, the former president described the institute as a movement aimed at addressing the yawning gaps in Africa’s leadership narrative.

Obasanjo said the institute, though not a military organisation would borrow what is good from the military as well as training offered by the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies, Kuru, Jos.

He said this would help to build a new generation of conscientious, principled, prepared, and people-focused leaders in the African continent.

While inaugurating the governing board of the institute at the Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library, Abeokuta, Ogun State capital, the former President advised the members to be guided by the conviction that Africa’s greatest asset was its people.

Obasanjo, who served as the institute’s board chairman, recalled that the establishment was borne out of his over seven decades of understudying leadership development in Africa.

For more than 70 years, I have observed and engaged with the complex tapestry of Africa’s developmental journey

While our continent is rich in human and natural endowments, we have persistently fallen short in translating this potential into sustainable development, peace, and prosperity—largely because of deficits in leadership at various levels,” he said.

He added, “The establishment of the Olusegun Obasanjo Leadership Institute is one of my earnest responses to this challenge.

“I conceived OOLI as a platform to raise and strengthen leaders who are not only equipped for today’s realities but also prepared to navigate the complexities of tomorrow.

“Today, I am pleased to formally announce that the institute, which has received the blessing of the National Universities Commission as an affiliate of the Bells University of Technology, is now ready for the full take-off of its programmes,” he said.

Obasanjo commended the President of Ghana, John Mahama, President of Mauritius, Ameenah Gurib-Fakim, former President of South Africa, Kgalema Motlanthe and former President of Senegal, Macky Sall for their roles in changing the narrative of leadership developments in Africa.