CAG Concludes First Pan-African Senior Leadership Programme on Building Strong Nations
September 1, 2023
- 20 senior government leaders from 10 countries across Africa were in Singapore to attend the final segment of the Strong Nations for Africa Programme as the inaugural cohort.
- The Programme drew upon the Chandler Governance Group (CGG)'s unique and holistic understanding of Strong Nations – which have wise governments, vibrant businesses and unified communities, and are helmed by leaders who understand and effectively steward the national story.
- The Programme combined expert-led discussions and lectures with curated learning journeys, allowing participants to observe policy in practice and to identify good practices for their respective home countries.
- This final segment rounds up and complements the earlier two segments – one held in Nairobi, Kenya, and the other done online.
SINGAPORE, 1 September 2023 – The Chandler Academy of Governance (CAG) welcomed 20 government leaders from across 10 African countries to Singapore, for the concluding segment of the Strong Nations for Africa Programme, which was delivered in collaboration with the African Association for Public Administration and Management. In the course of a week, the participants went through expert-facilitated workshops, peer-led discussions and learning journeys to understand the building blocks for strong nations, and the government’s role as architects for doing so. Participants were also able to observe policy implementation and governance in practice within the Singapore context, and reflect on good practices that could potentially be adopted in their respective countries.
Held from 28 August to 1 September 2023, this final segment of the programme focused on the three pillars of a strong nation, which aligned to the three main actors in any country - wise government, vibrant businesses and unified communities.
Participants were introduced to the concept of national story, and the important role that government leaders play to steward that story in policy design and implementation. Participants drew on lessons from the Singapore story and discussed how they – as leaders– could also steward their own national stories. They were also introduced to the Singapore corruption control system, and reflected on tools and frameworks that could be adopted in their respective countries.
The week-long programme also looked at the role of government in building a vibrant economic environment, which is the engine for prosperous nations and building a strong middle class. Following an expert lecture focused on tools and frameworks designed to help participants diagnose the health of a nation’s economy, participants were also brought on learning journeys to better understand key facets of Singapore’s policy approach towards economic development. These include visits to the Institute of Technical Education – a lynchpin for skills training and workforce development – and to Singapore’s industrial parks.
The Programme also looked at the government’s role in building unified communities in cultures of diversity. Participants embarked on a self-led learning journey to different parts of Singapore, including its residential heartlands, to understand how various policy levers in areas such as housing, urban planning and education, work in concert to foster social interaction and to promote social mobility. Lessons from the learning journeys were also discussed through an expert-led workshop on policies and systems adopted by governments across the world to build unified communities.
This final segment built upon, and complemented, the previous ones. The first segment held in Nairobi had focused on helping participants to develop a shared understanding of the African context, including its challenges and goals, and their roles as government leaders from the continent. The second segment – held online – was focused on helping participants understand and build individual leadership competencies.
“The model of building strong nations and the pillars of leadership, building a wise, prosperous, but also diverse nation, are very relevant to my country. And as part of the programme, we also learnt how to build our narrative, our story, and then how we continue from there to develop a strong nation. So I believe, by strengthening the leadership within my country, we should be able to build a wise nation and a leadership that is transformational.”
Ms. Irene Pauline Bateebe
Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development, Uganda
More information about the intent and design of the programme can be found here.
About the Chandler Academy of Governance (CAG)
The Chandler Academy of Governance, which is the Learning and Development division of Chandler Governance Group (CGG), designs and delivers training programmes for public sector leaders, equipping them with the skills to deliver high performance government. Our signature programmes are anchored in our proprietary curriculum, practitioner-focused, and contextualised to local needs. We utilise a range of teaching techniques, including seminars, expert-led discussions, and site visits. We also work with clients to design customised programmes for public servants, tailored to the country context, client objectives, and participant profiles.
For more news and information, visit our website at www.chandler-academy.com.
About the Chandler Governance Group (CGG)
The Chandler Governance Group (CGG) is an international organisation focusing on public sector effectiveness and capability development. We work with national and local governments to train and develop leaders, strengthen public institutions and systems, benchmark government capabilities, and share good practices.
For more news and information, visit www.chandlergovernance.com or follow CGG on Facebook, X and LinkedIn @ChandlerGOV.
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