The foundation’s analysis of alumni reform projects identifies stakeholder engagement, communication, organisational culture and collaboration as key factors in implementation success.
The Aig-Imoukhuede Foundation held its 2026 Public Sector Reform Convening in Lagos on 14 October, bringing together public sector leaders, alumni and reform stakeholders under the theme “Unblocking Reform: From Design to Delivery.”
The event drew on the Foundation’s analysis of reform projects run by its alumni network.
What was on the programme
- A keynote by Olabode Shuageeb Agoro, Lagos State Head of Service
- A panel, “Advancing Reform: Building Buy-In and Coalitions”
- An in-conversation session with experienced reform leaders
- An interactive Reform Reality Check and a Reform Solutions Lab, where multidisciplinary groups worked on organisational support, stakeholder engagement and collaborative action, and identified steps they could adapt to their own institutions
The sessions focused on stakeholder engagement, communicating change and sustaining reform over time.
What’s being said
Ofovwe Aig-Imoukhuede, Executive Vice Chair of the Foundation, said successful reform depends on understanding the institutional realities that shape implementation:
“This is not to suggest that every objection to reform is unreasonable or that resistance can simply be overcome through better communication. Rather, effective reform leadership requires an understanding of institutional contexts, a willingness to listen to those affected and a deliberate effort to build the support necessary for implementation.”
Agoro said resistance to reform may stem from gaps in skills, resources or understanding:
“A capacity gap cannot be resolved by repeating an instruction. Leaders must communicate the purpose of reforms, align institutions around their objectives, provide the resources and capabilities required for implementation, and ensure that accountability continues long after implementation. People always feel better if they are carried along. Nobody wants to feel that they don’t matter. So it is always important to engage at all levels.”
What’s next
The Foundation says the convening is part of a broader effort to position its alumni network as a platform for peer learning, strategic dialogue and collaboration among public sector reform leaders. Its stated aim is for reforms to be both well designed and implemented in ways that improve outcomes for citizens. Participants left the Reform Solutions Lab with practical actions they could adapt to their own institutions.
Bottom line
The Foundation is framing public sector reform as an implementation problem rather than a design problem, and both speakers tied delivery to listening, resourcing and sustained accountability.
The Aig-Imoukhuede Foundation is a public sector-focused philanthropic organisation founded by Aigboje and Ofovwe Aig-Imoukhuede. It supports reform initiatives across Africa through financing, strategic advisory services and capacity-building programmes.
