They recently took steps towards empowering the young people in Lagos as part of their Class of 2025 capstone project, themed “Positive STEPS Nigeria”.

These students orchestrated a dynamic three-day seminar focused on equipping young individuals with essential digital and financial literacy skills.

The driving force behind the initiative is a clear understanding of the evolving needs of today’s youth.

“We live in a digital world, yet many lack the basic skills to navigate it effectively,” stated Dr. Godsgift Obi, a member of the SPPG Capstone Project team. “This seminar is about unlocking opportunities that are often unseen due to a lack of digital awareness and providing the financial know-how for a more secure future.”

The program’s innovative “train-the-trainer” model is designed for scalability and lasting impact. By training an initial cohort of ten individuals who will then each mentor and train ten more, the project aims to create a groundswell of knowledge, reaching over a hundred young people in its first phase.

For Lovelyn Okafor, the team lead for the group, the initiative is deeply rooted in SPPG’s core principles.

“Our program at SPPG emphasizes character, competence, and capacity,” she explained passionately. “Having experienced this transformative learning ourselves, we are driven to extend these vital skills to young people aged 18 to 35, empowering them to become active and informed citizens.”

The seminar already resonates strongly with participants. Oluwatobiloba Victor Odunola, one of the enthusiastic attendees, shared his transformative experience.

“Honestly, the training has been eye-opening. I use my smartphone every day, but I didn’t realize its full potential for my business and for learning new skills. I’m excited to not only receive this knowledge, but also to share it with others in my community.”

A commendable aspect of the project is its unwavering commitment to inclusivity. The presence of sign language interpreters and proactive planning for participants with physical disabilities underscored the team’s dedication to reaching all segments of the youth population.

Dr. Folashade Coker, an SPPG student with a legal and tax background, emphasized this point.

“Witnessing the active engagement of Persons with disabilities (PWDs) has been incredibly rewarding,” she noted. “Their eagerness to learn and contribute highlighted their immense potential, and we are proud to create a platform where everyone feels welcome and empowered.”

The success of the initiative is a testament to the collaborative spirit of the SPPG students and the support they garnered. Funding for the project was secured through a combination of team fundraising efforts and external contributions, demonstrating a shared belief in the importance of youth empowerment.

The students themselves conceived and structured the entire training program, showcasing their leadership and initiative.

“SPPG provides us with the freedom to develop projects that align with our passion for empowerment,” Dr. Obi explained, “and we tailored this training to provide practical and immediately applicable skills.”

The participants are already envisioning how they will leverage their newfound knowledge.

Oladeji Dorcas Oluwasukunmi, who discovered the training online, expressed her enthusiasm.

“This training has been truly impactful! I have already gained valuable insights into using technology to grow my business and connect with more people. My goal is to not only apply this knowledge myself but also to teach others in my community.”

The SPPG students’ capstone project is more than just a seminar; it’s an investment in the future of Lagos and Nigeria at large. By equipping young people with essential digital and financial literacy skills, they are fostering a generation that is more informed, more empowered, and better prepared to contribute to the socio-economic growth of Nigeria.

The ripple effect of their ” Positive STEPS Nigeria” promises to be felt for years to come.

Themed ‘Reawakening the African Renaissance: Pathways to Inclusive Growth and Development,’ the pioneer event will hold on June 16, 2023 at the Shehu Musa Yar’Adua Centre, Abuja.

The Big Ideas Platform by SPPG is an intellectual convergence of concepts, a marketplace of ideas, where exceptional African minds convene to engage in robust conversations.

The platform will facilitate the sharing, generation and collaboration of fresh ideas, innovative solutions and implementation strategies to address Africa’s plethora of challenges.

Panellists for the event include Amal Hassan, Founder/Chief Executive Officer of Outsource Global; Adetola Onayemi, CEO, Norebase; Ijeoma Akwiwu, Co-founder/Chief Operating Officer, Pivo Africa; Dimieari Von Kemedi, Founder, Alluvial Trading, and Hamzat Lawal, Founder, CODE and Follow the Money.

Speaking on the event, Alero Ayida-Otobo, the CEO of SPPG, said, “We are excited to be hosting this event with so many great minds on our panel. SPPG is committed to fostering the development of new African solutions to African problems, charting a course towards a stronger and more sustainable system that truly benefits all.

“One of our long-term goals is to foster improved public trust in political leadership and significantly enhance Africa’s rankings in governance, accountability, inclusive development and transparency measurements.

Through the platform, we will shed light on ever-evolving issues, the unique perspectives people bring to the table, their actions and their perceptions on various trends.” 

Ayida-Otobo said.

According to her, the Big Ideas Platform will serve as a catalyst for change, fostering a community of forward-thinking individuals committed to translating ideas into impactful actions that shape the continent’s future.

The event is open to the public, and registration is free. It will be a great opportunity to learn from thought leaders and professionals, who have the requisite knowledge about improving Africa’s economy and enhancing its development.

The programme aims to empower individuals and transform politics in Africa, by building a massive, new value-based and disruptive-thinking political class with the requisite knowledge and skills to solve complex development problems.

According to Alero Ayida-Otobo, the Chief Executive Officer of SPPG, the #SPPGClassOf2024 applications portal is open for registration till September 30, 2023.

She said,

“The entire application process for SPPG is conducted online. SPPG is 100 per cent virtual; so, individuals, who make it through the competitive application process to become students, can attend classes from anywhere in the world.

SPPG’s diverse global faculty ensures that students get the highest quality of education in politics, policy, and are equipped for the task ahead.”

The core vision of SPPG, she stated, is to create a Nigeria with competent and responsible public leadership that is firmly rooted in ethical principles and committed to serving the common good.

“The SPPG course is focused on educating present and future leaders, who are dedicated to the good of the nation and are ready to serve for the wellbeing of all Nigerians.

“SPPG seeks to create an enabling environment for an inclusive civil society, where citizens are aware of their rights and obligations, and emboldened to act in the public interest,” she added.

Individuals, who wish to apply, must have a minimum educational qualification of a Bachelor of Science, Bachelor of Arts or Higher National Diploma, and applicants must be able to demonstrate commitment to public leadership.

Applicants are required to upload the originals of their credentials and academic qualifications, a personal statement, Curriculum Vitae and details of two guarantors to the SPPG online application portal (thesppg.org).

The CEO also noted that;

“students of SPPG are awarded Certificate in Public Leadership and Policy upon graduation, which is a 10-month curriculum of carefully selected courses that are analytically and empirically relevant to solving Africa’s complex development problems.”

“SPPG is fully committed to educating a new cadre of political leaders dedicated to reforming the political sector of Africa and beyond”, she said.

The School of Politics, Policy and Governance (SPPG) is determined to bridge the gaps experienced in these areas with a well-tailored curriculum for African students with a global perspective.

Speaking to leadership deficit in the continent and Nigeria, Dr. Obiageli Ezekwesili, Convener/Chair of FixPolitics and Founder SPPG stated that the world needs Africa and Africa needs the world. “The existing multilateral order is broken and must be urgently fixed so that our world can make critical decisions and take the right actions on issues that affect us all.”

According to her, “Africa must be at the center of the conversations on global governance, economic growth, poverty and inequality, climate change, disruptive technologies and related issues of human and social development.

“The world will do better with Africa actively at the table of the redesign of today’s global architecture for a future that provides equal opportunity for everyone anywhere to excel,” she said.

To be ready for this, Africa needs disruptive leaders who are constantly invested in finding better solutions to problems of their communities, countries and the world.

She said “The SPPG is where we are raising the ethical, competent and capable disruptive leaders for an Africa that sits at the global table of decision. And we are doing so, one leader at a time in significant numbers,” Dr. Ezekwesili stated.

The SPPG is an unconventional school of the research-anchored #FixPolitics initiative that is designed to transform the quality of political and public leadership in Nigeria and the rest of Africa. This innovative leadership school is invested in developing a massive pipeline of value-based and disruptive thinking political-class equipped with the requisite knowledge, skills, and mindset to solve complex leadership problems to reposition Africa in the 21st Century.

The SPPG has a continental focus and commenced in Nigeria in 2020 with expansion plans into Senegal in 2023, as the step before six other countries.

Ms. Alero Ayida-Otobo, Chief Executive Officer, SPPG, said, “Our pioneer class of 160 outstanding professionals from the public sector, business, and civil society graduated in October 2021. This year, 133 will graduate in a hybrid ceremony on October 8, 2022.”

The 10-month long world-class multidisciplinary and unconventional curriculum spans topics on politics, ethical leadership, strategic management, gender, equity and social inclusion, economics and economic policy, human capital development, technology and development, trade, sectoral issues for accelerating development, environment and climate change, security, transparency, accountability, good governance, and institution’s building.

“We are fortunate to have an honorary expert faculty body consisting of renowned academics, experts and practitioners from around the world who teach our 140 courses. Our students have therefore learned from a world class faculty to become disruptive thinkers who are ethical, competent, and capable in their present and future roles as political and policy leaders.

“We are delighted that 55 of our students were aspirants for elective offices in the recent primaries of various political parties and of which five emerged as candidates for the forthcoming 2023 general elections. Our school continues to support our alumni by engaging experts to help design strategies that can strengthen their candidacy and improve their chances of winning elections,” Ayida-Otobo stated.

The vision of the school is to envision a Nigeria with competent and responsible public leadership firmly based on ethical principles and dedicated to serving the common good for the benefit of all.

Whilst its mission is to educate present and future leaders dedicated to the good of the nation and ready to serve as stewards of the wellbeing of all Nigerians.

The CEO of SPPG stated further that designing our global future with Africa in mind speaks to the idea that the world has come to a time in its evolution where the powers that be, must take Africa actively into account in making decisions about critical global issues. Some of the most crucial ones, Alero said “Include the sustainability of the environment, social justice, and insecurity.

“Taking Africa into account is not from the perspective of Africa as a docile observer and recipient of whatever crumbs fall from the table of the global north,” she said, “but as active participants in designing what the desired future would look like.”

To celebrate the School of Politics, Policy and Governance (SPPG) second anniversary, the school would launch its Alumni Association on October 6th, perform a Solidarity Walk on October 7th and host its first graduation ceremony on October 8th, while the next matriculation for the school comes up on October 28th, 2022 in Abuja with the theme “Designing our Global Future with Africa in Mind.”

SPPG’s strategic objectives include the need to groom a new set of leaders with policy development and good governance mind set, whilst educating a new cadre of political leaders dedicated to the values of good governance in and out of Nigeria, based on the values the school upholds.

“We want to contribute to instilling in politicians and public administrators a deep sense of moral commitment to the common good as a foundation for Nigeria and Africa’s future prosperity. SPPG aims to strengthen the bonds between government, public administration, and citizens by fostering dialogue, accountability and transparency.

The School of Politics, Policy and Governance (SPPG) is determined to foster the disruptive thinking needed to create the understanding amongst new leadership that the public good must always be an inherent consideration in governance. Its programs and mini SPPG curricula are available to continue to change leadership dynamics.

The White Paper focused on impacts in three key areas: Finance and Investment; Education, Jobs and Social Cohesion; and Governance and Regulation.

In all three areas, the students demonstrated quantifiable gains that could be achieved by the Nigeria Startup Bill once enacted, subject to good implementation.

“The manner of implementation of this Bill will be critical to achieving desirable outcomes” said the team lead, Rex Rim-Rukeh.

He went on to explain that based on the research, conducted locally and around other jurisdictions that have deployed pro-startup policies, the team uncovered insights into how such laws and policies could work. “Virtually every single time, these required a deep level of mutual respect and collaboration between a variety of stakeholders who were focused on key results and growth. By presenting these three thematic areas, our intention is to ensure that implementers of the Bill, once passed, have the right objectives and metrics for keeping track in order to achieve impact. In volume two of the white paper, we shall present two more thematic areas that would also be of high importance”.

The team revealed that it will continue to support by making recommendations whenever necessary, and use data to track progress over the long-term; to help the Startup Ecosystem with accountabilities and progress in implementation.

“So far, from the data we have evaluated around innovation on the continent, including Nigeria, we do see that there are so many critical gaps, such as in funding, skills, R&D, entrepreneur confidence, and that no single entity can change a country’s fortunes by itself. Furthermore, the pace of domesticating this Act at the state level will be critical to achieving geographic competencies and comparative advantages across various verticals”.

The School of Politics, Policy and Governance’s Certificate in Public Leadership and Policy (CPLP) course encompasses a curriculum aimed at providing a new generation of leaders in Nigeria with the requisite skills identified through research to be deficient in our current political landscape: Political Science, Ethics, Leadership, Economics, Sector Policies, Institution Building, and Quantitative Analysis.

As part of the course, SPPG students embark on a Capstone Project, working in themed groups.

This team focused on Technology and Sustainability, as they examined the process followed by the Nigeria Startup Bill, one of many being introduced in countries across Africa, with a view to constructively evaluate its content, path to passage, and ultimately its implementation.

The team is motivated by the fact that, for the first time, we have more unicorn startups and innovations in developing economies than in developed climes.

While most of that growth is fueled by India and China, the questions of Nigeria’s place in this dynamic and how Nigeria can fully harness her technological potential must be carefully and strategically addressed by a broad base of interest groups. 

The mistakes that prevented the full success of impact-focused Acts passed in many countries need to be studied to avoid repeating similar mistakes wherever possible. The Nigerian Startup Bill is a good candidate for this form of shadowing.

Other members of the team include Munir Bello, Samuel Adesoga, Samuel Obeghe, Dupe Lydia Abiona, Ezekiel Aina, Ose Eromosele, Hyacinth Aneke and Musa Ali Baba.

In addition to the Second Volume of its White Paper, they have authored a guide to the Act as it affects target stakeholders and shall be launching a blog and other activities in the coming days to engage the public, curate research works, progress reports, data and news around the Nigerian Startup Act and its contemporaries across Africa. You can view the Volume 1 report here.