The Aig-Imoukhuede Foundation has developed a Public Sector Reform Playbook to help governments implement sustainable reforms, manage resistance to change and ensure continuity beyond individual administrations.
The foundation’s director of programmes, Ms Chioma Njoku, said this at a news conference in Abuja on Thursday, ahead of the playbook’s official launch on Nov. 19.
Njoku said the playbook was designed as a practical resource to help government institutions and reform practitioners diagnose challenges, design solutions, implement changes and sustain reforms.
She said it drew on three case studies covering corporate governance and the business environment, treasury management, and taxation.
The foundation also examined reform experiences in five African countries to identify successful approaches, challenges and lessons that could be adapted to Nigeria’s public sector, she said.
Njoku said one of the key considerations in developing the playbook was addressing resistance to change, which she described as a recurring challenge in implementing reforms.
“Effective change management, strategic communication, transparency, proper procurement and honest measurement of progress are essential to achieving sustainable results,” she said.
Njoku emphasised that public sector transformation should focus on strengthening institutions rather than relying on individual leaders.
She said meaningful reforms could take years, highlighting the need for policies and institutional structures that would endure through changes in political leadership.
The playbook encourages reformers to start with the most urgent and achievable priorities rather than trying to change everything at once, she said.
Njoku added that involving relevant stakeholders from the outset was crucial, noting that reforms imposed on people were less likely to gain the support needed to last.
“The document was developed through research, reform experiences across Africa and consultations with government officials, heads of agencies, public policy experts, and monitoring and evaluation practitioners,” she said.
The resource is intended for ministries, departments and agencies; state reform teams; civil society organisations; legislators; development partners; the media; students; and researchers, she said.
Njoku added that the playbook would be available for free download on the foundation’s website.
The Nov. 19 launch, scheduled to take place in a hybrid format at the Afreximbank African Trade Centre in Abuja, would feature practical reviews and discussions on how stakeholders could use the resource, she said.
Njoku said sustainable transformation required collective commitment and deliberate efforts to pass reforms from one generation of reformers to the next.
