13-Member Olusegun Obasanjo Leadership Institute Governing Board Inaugurated.

A 13-member governing board of the Olusegun Obasanjo Leadership Institute, OOLI, has been inaugurated.

The institute aims to equip leaders with the skills and vision necessary to drive Africa’s development and prosperity.

The President of Ghana, John Mahama inaugurated the board in Abeokuta, the Ogun State, Capital, describing the institute as a timely response to Africa’s leadership challenges.

President Mahama expressed his confidence in the future of the Institute and affirmed that under Obasanjo’s leadership, and with the support of the Governing Board, OOLI would emerge as a global centre for transformational leadership.

He also underscored the urgent need for ethical, courageous, and visionary leadership across the continent, noting that Africa and the world have high expectations for the Institute.

The Governing board will be Chaired by former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo with retired General Martin Luther Agwai serving as Director.

Members include notable personalities from Africa and beyond, such as former President Kgalema Motlanthe of South Africa, former President Macky Sall of Senegal and former President Ameenah Gurib-Fakim of Mauritius.

Others on the board, are Professor Benedict Okey Oramah, President of Afreximbank; Professor Funmi Olonisakin of King’s College London; Ambassador Barry Desker of Singapore; Professor PLO Lumumba of Kenya; Dr. Kofo Obasanjo-Blackshire of London; Professor Peter Okebukola; and Professor Jeremiah Ojediran, Vice-Chancellor of Bells University of Technology.

In his remarks, the Director of the Centre, General Martin Luther Agwai (retired), catalogued the physical and programmatic milestones achieved by OOLI since it was commissioned in 2024.

He also outlined the major plans in place to ensure the rapid take-off of the Institute’s activities and its long-term sustainability.

Addressing newsmen after the inauguration, the
Facilitator of OOLI, Emeritus Professor Peter Okebukola, hailed the inauguration of the governing board which he says marks the “institutional take-off” of a bold pan-African vision.

In his goodwill message, the Director General of the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies, NIPSS, Professor Ayo Omotayo, highlighted the significant role that NIPSS has played in Nigeria’s development over the years.

He underlined the importance of quality leadership in national development and stated that OOLI is well positioned to contribute meaningfully towards bridging capacity deficits in Nigeria and across the African continent.

In his address, the chairman of the newly inaugurated OOLI Governing Board, former President Olusegun Obasanjo, reflected on his decades of experience with Africa’s developmental challenges.

“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,”

Obasanjo further noted that the establishment of the Olusegun Obasanjo Leadership Institute is one of his earnest responses to this challenge.

The ceremony drew stakeholders from top leadership institutes across Africa, Europe, and the United States, including delegates from Burundi, Ghana, Liberia, Sierra Leone, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

Oduyemi Odumade, Edited By Grace Namiji