Vision

The vision of the Institute is to be Africa’s leading independent, not-for-profit organisation committed to accountability, effectiveness, dedicated leadership, and observance and study of civilized and humane standards in governance.

Mission

The Institute shall provide world-class platforms for research, training, policy engagement, and outreach programmes  on governance in Nigeria and the rest of Africa as well as develop and maintain a multi-media Museum to codify, celebrate and disseminate the ideas, principles and practices of democracy, governance and leadership highlighted by the life and work of Chief Awolowo and his generation of African leaders.

What the Institute offers

The Institute offers programmes of research, training, policy engagement and outreach delivered through a  global network of cutting-edge expertise in diverse fields (such as  health, education, rural and urban communities, youth, development, and leadership, accountability and structures of government),  from  Nigeria, the rest of Africa, the Nigerian and African diasporas, and others, powered by new technologies. Its approach focuses on how the state interfaces with civil society and grassroots communities, and how these in turn perceive, negotiate, and seek to organize their encounters with the state and with themselves in a complex web that contributes to affecting or reflecting, or fails to affect or reflect,  the public sphere in the interest of the people

Among the Institute’s mandates, therefore, is to work with the Nigerian people and other Africans as they seek to better understand and improve upon their own  local, national and regional economy, society, politics and governance . The Institute will thus work to  strengthen a sense of civic responsibility and capacity for civic engagement among the people  and their organizations to enhance their capacity for sustained  interrogation of the  policy process. In addition, and to complement its people-focused mandate, the Institute will also  engage public policy making, implementation, monitoring and evaluation itself. It  will remain focused on assessing governments and politicians and holding them accountable in line with their declared objectives, standards of civilized and humane practice in governance for the benefit of all.