ALIWA pushes values-based leadership, dialogue as antidote to Nigeria’s governance challenges

African Leadership Initiative in West Africa (ALIWA) has affirmed its commitment to nurturing values-based leadership and promoting dialogue as a tool for addressing Nigeria’s deep-rooted governance and societal challenges, including corruption.

Speaking at a press briefing in Lagos , Ayo Maji,  the Executive Director of ALIWA described the organisation as a regional leadership development platform focused on grooming principled leaders across West Africa. She explained that ALIWA is part of a broader African Leadership Initiative with sister organisations across the continent.

“ALIWA focuses on fostering values-based leadership by equipping high-achieving individuals with leadership toolkits and providing platforms for deep dialogue among leaders across sectors,” she said.

Founded over 21 years ago in Ghana, ALIWA’s Nigerian chapter was established in 2006 through a collaboration involving Databank Foundation Ghana, Databank Nigeria and the Aspen Institute in the United States.

The organisation operates on a curriculum developed more than 75 years ago in the aftermath of the Second World War, built on the belief that dialogue  not conflict offers a sustainable pathway to resolving societal differences.

According to her, the curriculum promotes the concept of a “good society” one that is just, fair, equitable and inclusive, while protecting the vulnerable and expanding opportunities for all, regardless of background.
“ALIWA is about developing leaders who move from personal success to societal significance  leaders who use their influence to transform institutions, shape policies and build societies that work for everyone,” she said.

She said that ALIWA currently has over 115 fellows across Nigeria, Ghana, Liberia and Sierra Leone, drawn from business, finance, technology, entrepreneurship, civil society and public service. Some ALIWA fellows, she noted, now operate at the global level, including the current Secretary-General of the Commonwealth.

“Fellows undergo an intensive two-year transformational leadership programme centred on ethics, integrity, accountability and dialogue, with each fellow required to initiate a venture that delivers tangible social impact” she added.

Also speaking, Tokunboh George-Taylor,  Managing Director of STOT Communications and an ALIWA fellow, said the fellowship places strong emphasis on deep reflection, ethical leadership and peer learning.
“We study leaders from different eras and contexts — from Aristotle to Lee Kuan Yew through rigorous readings and dialogue.

The goal is to challenge how leaders think, how they use power and how they show up in society,” she said. She added that beyond the fellowship, ALIWA engages the wider public through webinars, leadership dialogues and the Africa Impact Forum to influence leadership thinking and practice across West Africa.

In his remarks, ALIWA President Mr. Soji Apampa explained that the organisation’s work often translates into concrete policy impact, even without fellows holding elected office.

He cited the Corporate Governance Rating System (CGRS) introduced by the Nigerian Stock Exchange between 2014 and 2021 as one outcome of ALIWA-inspired leadership, noting that it helped rebuild investor confidence after Nigeria’s capital market crash.

Akande also highlighted ALIWA fellows’ sustained work in the maritime sector, which significantly reduced corruption-related vessel clearance fines.

“In 2024 alone, our interventions helped save about $380,000 in illegitimate fines imposed on shipping operators. Elements of this work have since been embedded in Nigeria’s Business Facilitation Act and replicated in other countries,” he said.

Responding to questions on corruption, ALIWA leaders stressed that while the organisation does not position itself as an anti-corruption agency, integrity and ethical leadership are central to its training.

“Corruption is addressed through values-based leadership, system design, transparency and accountability,” Maji explained. A leader may be personally honest, but if the system they lead enables corruption, then corruption will thrive” she noted.

Maji added that ALIWA’s approach focuses on building efficient, transparent systems that naturally reduce corruption rather than confronting it directly. “When you push for efficiency, accountability and openness, corruption declines as a result,”she said.