By Seun Ibiyemi
The African University of Science and Technology (AUST), Abuja, has launched a pan-African research and leadership development initiative aimed at strengthening accountable governance, measuring leadership impact and promoting institutional continuity across the continent.
The project, known as the African Leadership Legacy Project (AFRILEAP), was launched through the university’s Centre for Pan-African and Peace Studies (CePAPS).
Leadership and public policy expert and former Director-General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Dr. Dakuku Peterside, has been appointed Director of the project, while the Centre Leader of CePAPS, Dr. Bosco Chukwudumebi Okolo-Obi, will serve as Programme Manager.
“AFRILEAP asks every leader one fundamental question: What do you want to be remembered for long after you are gone?” Peterside said.
Commissioning the initiative, AUST President, Professor Azikiwe Peter Onwualu, pledged the university’s support, assuring that it would provide an enabling environment for senior fellows and researchers to achieve the project’s objectives.
Onwualu commended the initiative’s conceptualisation, noting that its vision aligned with the university’s founding ideals of advancing Africa’s development through research, innovation and human capacity development.
Also speaking at the commissioning, the Director of CePAPS, Professor Chudi Uwazurike, pledged the centre’s commitment to ensuring the project’s success and promoting its adoption and impact across Africa.
AFRILEAP is designed to address a persistent governance challenge across Africa: the discontinuity of policies, reforms and development programmes following changes in leadership.
Through evidence-based research, leadership assessment and capacity development, the initiative aims to identify approaches that enable institutions to sustain effective policies and deliver development outcomes beyond the tenure of individual leaders.
Its research framework will evaluate leadership legacy across five dimensions: values transmission, institutionalisation of systems, human capacity development, socioeconomic impact, and public and organisational memory.
The project will examine historical figures, contemporary public-sector leaders and private-sector executives to generate insights into leadership effectiveness and lasting institutional impact.
AFRILEAP will begin its fieldwork in Nigeria, with comparative studies planned in Ghana, Kenya, South Africa, Egypt and Rwanda.
Its multidisciplinary research team comprises scholars and practitioners based in Africa and the United Kingdom, with expertise in governance, technology, sustainability, peacebuilding, communications and leadership development.
Members include Dr. Aminu Bello Usman, a computer science and cybersecurity specialist; Dr. Mohammed Dahiru Aminu, an expert in sustainability, governance and public policy; and Mr. Richard Ali, a specialist in peacebuilding and institutional resilience.
Others are Dr. Jeff Ukachukwu, a communications and management strategist; Dr. Sam Danso, an artificial intelligence researcher and strategic research leader; and Professor Olalekan Adekola, an expert in geography, environmental systems and climate adaptation.
The team also includes Dr. David Molapo, a South African leadership strategist and human capital development specialist, and Mrs. ZohAkiy Mbi-njifor Mbapeh, an expert in governance, executive leadership and organisational development.
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Over the next 18 months, the project will prioritise developing mathematical, psychometric and qualitative indicators for an African Leadership Legacy Index.
The indicators are expected to provide a structured basis for evaluating leadership beyond immediate accomplishments and short-term performance, offering a broader assessment of how leaders shape institutions, develop people and influence socioeconomic outcomes.
Other planned outputs include an African Leadership Legacy Framework, an open-access knowledge hub, policy briefs, Executive Legacy Masterclasses and a 12-month Future Legacy Leaders Fellowship.
The programmes are designed to strengthen leadership capacity, encourage institutional learning and equip emerging leaders with the knowledge and skills required to build sustainable legacies.
AFRILEAP also aims to provide policymakers, public institutions and private-sector organisations with evidence-based tools to assess leadership impact beyond political tenure and immediate achievements.
The initiative is expected to promote the development of resilient institutions, the institutionalisation of effective systems and investment in future generations of leaders.
The project has invited development institutions, philanthropic foundations, corporate organisations and strategic partners to support its research, policy engagement and leadership development programmes.
Through these efforts, AFRILEAP seeks to advance a more accountable, sustainable and future-oriented leadership culture across Africa.
