ACBF and Gates Foundation Call for Leadership Investment

On Thursday, the African Capacity Building Foundation (ACBF) and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation convened a webinar in Abuja titled ‘Leading Public Sector Transformation in Africa: Leadership Lessons from the LEAPS Programme’. They called for increased investment in leadership development within Africa’s public sector, asserting that technical expertise and sound policies alone are insufficient for sustainable reforms.

ACBF Executive Secretary Mamadou Biteye stated that public-sector reform is often hindered not by a lack of ideas but by leadership challenges, including building trust and managing resistance. He noted that while African governments are pursuing ambitious public financial management (PFM) reforms, progress is inconsistent due to leadership and coordination issues.

The LEAPS programme was established to address these challenges, combining structured leadership learning with practical applications. Gates Foundation Senior Programme Officer Adil Ababou highlighted that successful reforms require people to lead, emphasizing the importance of consensus-building and managing resistance in public finance.