The state governors of Nigeria were in Kigali, the capital of Rwanda in East Africa for a three-day Executive Shaping, equipping Nigerian governors for leadership delivery Retreat organized and sponsored by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in collaboration with the Nigeria Governors Forum (NGF).
The theme of the retreat was “Leadership in shaping the future of Pan-Africanism and Integration in a Changing World”.
The retreat in Kigali, Rwanda was kick-started on August 24 and closed on August 26, 2023.
The Executive Leadership Retreat aims to provide the governors with new strategies to tackle development challenges within their states.
During the retreat, the Governors were engaged in sessions that explored Rwanda’s successful investment destination transformation in digital technology, urban planning, and socio-economic transformation with a candid private dialogue with President Kagame.
And to honor the visiting Executive Governors from Nigeria, His Excellency, the President of Rwanda, Paul Kagame hosted them for a closing dinner.
The dinner served as an avenue to strengthen relationships and collaborations between the Government of Rwanda and Nigerian Government at the subnational level.
Recall that Rwanda is one of the countries of the world that experienced ethnic crises that resulted in loss of several lives and properties.
But President Kagame remains one of the famous leaders that were able to rebuild their countries in an examplary manner that attracts the attention of scholars of human and social development as well as crises and disaster managers.
Rwanda is a classical case study of how social crises blossom into war, and how they can be addressed effectively and provide policies and programmes in developing a better society.
The choice of Kigali for retreat is apt for the Nigerian governors especially with diverse groups in Nigeria so that they can study and learn from Rwanda the strategies it employed in overcoming its social and economic challenges.
About 19 governors attended the three-day governance training in Rwanda have appreciated the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) for the initiative.
Governor Oluseyi Makinde of Oyo state was quoted, in a statement issued by the secretariat of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) as saying that the retreat was an engaging one.
“I am glad a significant number of governors are here to be part of it so that, together, we can use the knowledge acquired.
“Our discussions have equipped us with adaptive leadership strategies and identifying pathways to effective governance and nationwide sustainable development.”
According to the NGF, the “three-day executive leadership retreat” which it organised with the UNDP in Kigali, Rwanda, under the invitation of His Excellency Paul Kagame, President of the Republic of Rwanda, “was dedicated to fostering dialogue on reimagining leadership and leveraging innovative technology, drawing inspiration from Rwanda’s transformative journey.
NGF’s Director General, Asishana Okauru noted that “as a non-partisan organization and policy arm, the Nigeria Governors’ Forum organized this gathering with the objective of fostering transformative leadership and facilitating honest, frank and open dialogue to shape the discourse on these cross-cutting themes.”
UNDP Resident Representative in Nigeria, Mohamed Yahya said the retreat “offers an opportunity to reimagine Nigeria’s leadership to achieve transformation and nationwide sustainable development.”
Part of the statement reads: “Themed ‘Reimagining leadership in a fast-changing world’, the distinguished participants, representing 19 Nigerian States, engaged in sessions that explored Rwanda’s successful investment destination transformation in digital technology, urban planning and socio-economic transformation, capping off with a candid private dialogue with President Kagame.
“Nigeria faces a complex web of interconnected development challenges stemming from a huge trust deficit, an economy highly dependent on oil exports, a job crisis and growing youth population, rising insecurity and separatist agitations, and a growing number of multi-dimensionally poor.
In Africa, effective leadership is in high demand, with recent political challenges and socio-economic crises continuing to adversely impact qualitative advancements toward the attainment of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the realization of the African Union’s Agenda 2063, which aspires toward a peaceful, stable and prosperous Africa.
“The Nigeria Governors’ Forum has become a major link between government, development partners and private organizations as they seek to reach all 36 States in Nigeria.
“In previous years, the level of cooperation has increased significantly, as have relations between the States and the Federal Government, particularly on collaborative pathways to overcoming commonly shared developmental challenges.
.
