To sustain and scale impact in the national policy space, Agora Policy is strengthening its operational structure and approach by developing a new strategic plan and appointing a new board of directors.

The nine-member board is composed of accomplished individuals with demonstrable passion for and expertise in public policy and corporate governance. 

The board will be chaired by Ms. Ojobo Atuluku, an MPA graduate and an Edward Mason Fellow in Public Policy and Management of the Harvard Kennedy School of Government who is fortified with decades of leadership experience in the non-profit sector within and outside Nigeria. 

Mr. Shuaibu Idris, a seasoned corporate executive and an alumnus of the National Institute of Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS), will serve as the Co-Chair of the board. 

Other members of the board are: Mr. Simon Kolawole, one of Nigeria’s leading columnists and the publisher of TheCable, Nigeria’s influential online newspaper; Dr. Leena Hoffmann, an Associate Fellow at Chatham House and a versatile policy researcher and expert; Ms. Ijeoma Uju, a corporate governance expert and a partner at Templars, one of Africa’s largest and most reputable law firms; and Mrs. Angela Attah, a strategy consultant experienced in working with private and public sector leaders and writing on policy issues. 

The other members are: Ms. Tengi George-Ikoli, an extractive sector and energy transition expert who once headed the Nigerian Natural Resource Charter and currently works with the US-based Natural Resource Governance Institute (NRGI); Dr. Mohammed Shuaibu who holds a PhD in Economics and has written and consulted extensively on economic policy issues; and Mr. Waziri Adio, a public commentator and policy expert who founded Agora Policy in 2022 shortly after a five-year stint in government as the Executive Secretary of the Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI). 

Please click here for more information about the profiles of the new members of the governing board of Agora Policy. 

Infusing the board of Agora Policy with diverse expertise is in line with the five-year strategic plan of the organisation, which is titled “Agora Policy’s Direction of Travel, 2024 to 2028.” While retaining its commitment to providing evidence-based and practical solutions to Nigeria’s lingering and emerging challenges, Agora Policy aspires to become one of Africa’s leading think tanks and to serve as an incubator of ideas and a catalyst for evidence-based policymaking in Nigeria and beyond. 

The organisation will continue to undertake cutting-edge research, convene frank conversations and build capacities on critical policy areas. But it has also taken the strategic decision to refine its focus to three core areas: Economic Growth and Development; Democracy and Governance; and Climate Change and Energy Transition. The work of the organisation will also be underpinned by three cross-cutting areas: Technology, Gender, and Social Inclusion. 

“Through initial and catalytic support from the MacArthur Foundation, Agora Policy has produced some significant reports and undertaken some key activities within just two years of existence,” says Waziri Adio, who founded the organisation because of a long-held belief that Nigeria and Africa need to have independent and solution-oriented think tanks. “It is important to build on the early success of Agora Policy and start putting enduring structures in place to ensure that the organisation can be here for the long haul and can continue to deliver outstanding public value like the best of think tanks the world over. That is the rationale for the quick repositioning.”

The board of directors will provide strategic guidance to the organisation and the implementation of the strategic plan.

For more information, please check: https://agorapolicy.org/board-of-directors