It is a known fact that quality leadership is fundamental to the progress and development of any sector in a modern nation, be it public, private, or even the civil society sphere.
As we all know, addressing the needs of the existing population and having the resources to support the pace of growth is the greatest challenge Africa faces. This is even as the minimum standards acceptable in most of the world tend to be beyond the grasps of most Africans.
While stakeholders believe that the public sector remains the engine room of administration and governance, it is important to point out that a country’s economic and social development is highly dependent on the efficiency of its public sector. Whereas, a performing public sector improves the lives of citizens, research has also shown that there is a strong correlation between the performance of a country’s public sector and economic development.
These concerned experts are yawning to turn our attention to the role and capacity of the public sector in Africa to provide the needed environment to facilitate economic growth and social development.
Celebrating its first international scholars among the AIG public leaders programme graduate, a public interest organisation- AIG-Imoukhuede Foundation, established for the purpose of transforming and building a new generation of public sector leaders to drive change across their various organisations expressed its commitment at changing the tide in Africa.
Various speakers at the event, which include the former chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Attahiru Jega, bemoaned the dearth of quality leadership in the country’s public service. Jega said the quality of leadership at the heart of government was a critical determinant of success or failure of national development aspirations.
Jega spoke on the topic; ‘Public Sector Leadership in Times of Crises’, at the closing ceremony of AIG – Imoukhuede Public Leaders Programme in Abuja.
The former INEC chairman said, “In most developing countries, and certainly in Nigeria, the quality of public sector leadership lags behind what obtains in other sectors, especially the private sectors, although there is now also increasing concern about the declining values of integrity, as well as professionalism and efficiency in the delivery of services in the Nigerian private sectors.”
He also said that in spite of many attempted reform measures in the country since the mid-1980s, the public sector had experienced decomposition, reflected in the nature and character of the state structures, institutions, and processes, as well as the orientation, character, and disposition of those leading it.
“Substantively, this means that the Nigerian public sector has, for long, been in dire need of‘re-composition’, for it to efficiently and effectively deliver public goods and services, in order to re-establish the capacity of the Nigerian state to play one of its key roles, which is the deployment of state resources for the satisfaction of citizens’ needs and aspirations, through the delivery of public goods and services that promote, protect and defend human security,” he said.
Regrettably, he said governments in countries, such as Nigeria, had paid inadequate attention to the challenge. He, however, expressed hope that the activities of organisations like the AIG-Imoukhuede Foundation, might serve to sensitise governments at various levels to be alive to their responsibilities.
Jega, said African countries needed to pay considerable attention to increasing the capacity, competence, and effectiveness of leadership in the public sector, so as to reposition it for greater roles and impact beneficial for economic growth and socioeconomic development.
According to him, nurturing and sustaining high-quality public-sector leadership remains both a panacea for stable societal development, as well as a proactive strategic preparation for the successful resolution of crises that may arise.
He said, “Indeed, providing public sector leaders with skill sets to anticipate, strategically plan, and effectively mitigate crises in our kinds of environments, is a task that must be done. Our governments should spare no energy, effort, and investment in this regard.”
The AIG Public Leaders Programme runs in conjunction with the University of Oxford’s Blavatnik School of Government. According to him, the foundation was part of its multi-billion-naira commitment to facilitate the transformation of the public sector. He congratulated the graduates and urged them to use the learning they had gained from the programme in their various places of work.
He also urged the private sector to recognise the important role the public sector played in national development and encouraged more support for the reforms of the public sector. He said there was a strong correlation between the performance of a country’s public sector and its economic development. He said the foundation was convinced that creating an effective, value-driven, and result-focused African public sector would lead to significant and measurable improvement in the continent’s economic, social, and political performance and, of course, a better life for its citizens.
For Jega, it only the signature of committed public servants that will ensure that results does not have negative but positive outcomes.in positive outcome. According to them,’ it is clear that the scale and scope of grand corruption in Nigeria and in Africa at large has fundamentally obstructed economic growth, has eroded public confidence and transparency, and also limited the ability for businesses to reach their maximum potential.
The fact is, in Africa, more than not, the issues that plague our core sectors – inefficient power supply , poor food distribution, access to clean water, provision of quality education and healthcare services etc.- stem from poor leadership and governance in the public sector.
Africa is indeed, where both the challenges and the opportunities are at their most extreme. It’s reality today, is that the most fundamental living standards remain out of reach for the vast majority of our people, some of basic things still work as well as they did 50 years ago when the gap was not so wide, and some things, unfortunately few and far between match or even exceed global norms.
For some experts, while it has become obvious that it is politics that drives the economies of nations, the major difference between developed countries and developing countries is in their political evolution. Developed countries have political and economic systems that are inclusive and offer opportunities for most people to create wealth, while the reverse is the case in Africa.
However, most developing economies have political and economic systems that are extractive. Those in the ruling class have a strong hold on political power, and use it to channel economic resources to benefit themselves and those close to them. On the contrary, a large number of leaders in Nigeria can’t envision Nigeria as a developed nation, and talk more of mobilising citizens to actualise the vision. He replied with an illustration:
Africa, is like an aircraft that is being flown by pilots that did not go to flying school. When the plane crashes, everyone blames the pilot. The question therefore is: where are Africa’s leadership “flying schools?” How and where do Africans acquire sophistication in the leadership skills required to guide the continent into development?
The cultivation of leaders with exceptional character and skills is critical to Africa’s development. Africa’s development partners should recognise that it is too late to teach someone who occupies a high position in government how to lead during side talks at global events. They should also bear in mind that there has to be alignment between the sense of identity of the leader and that of the followers for leadership to work.
Incompetence in leadership in most African countries is not only the problem of people who occupy positions in government; it is a reflection of the leadership culture. We’ve had different leaders with the same results for decades. The power distance that exists between leaders in government and citizens is also reflected in organisations and familiesOpportunities for developing leaders have never been greater in our increasingly complex world. Diagnosing leadership development needs, especially in Africa, requires an assessment of the entire leadership culture.
For example, leaders in Africa do whatever it takes to produce results in such a leadership culture, and they usually position themselves and their cronies above the law. Most of the citizens have leadership potential, but several factors inhibit their leadership development, such as bad governance, poverty, corruption and religious bias. Most young people in Africa are hungry to learn and to realise their potential. They seek respected mentors and resources to help them navigate the complex life challenges they face. However, there is a dearth of institutions and curricula to help them realise such desires.
LEADERSHIP Weekend writes that a broader view of leadership development provides insights into why some initiatives are more successful than others at generating change in individual behaviour. To have an impact, the capabilities being developed in the individual need to mesh with the leadership culture in which the leader is embedded.