Put leadership at heart of public sector reforms — African leaders urged
African governments have been urged to place leadership development at the centre of public sector reforms to ensure successful implementation of their policies. Speaking during a virtual webinar organised by the African Capacity Building Foundation (ACBF) on September 3, 2026, Executive Secretary of ACBF, Mr Mamadou Bitey, said it was important for the leaders to … The post Put leadership at…
The African Capacity Building Foundation (ACBF), in a virtual webinar on September 3, 2026, urged African governments to prioritize leadership development in public sector reforms. ACBF Executive Secretary Mamadou Bitey emphasized that while technical expertise is vital, it alone is insufficient for successful policy implementation.
The webinar, themed "Leading Public Sector Transformation in Africa: Leadership Lessons from the LEAPS Programme," also marked the launch of the LEAPS Change Story publication. This publication highlights leadership journeys and outcomes of participants in the LEAPS programme, which aims to foster leadership excellence in Africa's public sector.
Bitey pointed out that public sector reform challenges in Africa are often not due to a lack of good ideas, but due to the inability of leaders to unite people, build trust, overcome resistance, and maintain momentum. He emphasized that ACBF's LEAPS programme complements conventional leadership training by incorporating structured learning, self-assessment, coaching, and real-world application of public financial management challenges.
The program has demonstrated positive outcomes such as improved accountability, delegation, participatory management, and cross-institutional collaboration in countries like Ghana, Senegal, Kenya, and Zimbabwe. ACBF Senior Programme Officer Adil Ababou at the Gates Foundation echoed Bitey's sentiments, stressing that institutions and systems do not reform themselves; it is people who lead reforms.
He noted that the challenges faced by public finance officials are often multi-faceted, requiring consensus-building, resistance management, cross-institutional collaboration, and persistent momentum amid changing political or economic circumstances. Ababou highlighted three key lessons from the LEAPS experience: the importance of people leading reforms, the need for teams, institutions, and networks to work across administrative silos, and the necessity of leadership development frameworks that reflect Africa's unique institutional realities.
The LEAPS programme, which has reached over 295 participants across eight African countries, focuses on five key areas: African leadership paradigms, self-awareness and emotional intelligence, high-performing and inclusive teams, strategic organizational change, and stakeholder engagement and systemic transformation.
Written by urgent.news from Ghanaian Times's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
