By Ayobami Ayorinde and Seyi Akinbodewa | On 11th and 12th February 2026, Agora Policy held an induction workshop for the second cohort of the four-month Policy Writing Fellowship, which is organised with the support of the MacArthur Foundation and is designed to strengthen policy writing skills and deepen data-driven policy engagement in Nigeria. The workshop was hosted at the Yar’Adua Centre in Abuja and was attended by 25 competitively-selected fellows drawn from think tanks, private sector, public sector, civil society, and the media.

In her welcome address, Ms. Ojobo Atuluku, the Board Chair of Agora Policy, noted that the fellowship reflects a strong commitment by Agora Policy and MacArthur Foundation to strengthening Nigeria’s policy ecosystem and building the capacity of individuals to develop impactful policies. Mr. Olusegun Adeniyi, Chair of the Editorial Board of ThisDay Newspapers, in his remarks, expressed his delight at seeing young people who are eager to learn, grow, and expand their knowledge. He encouraged the fellows to approach the programme with an open mind, while actively networking, engaging, and making the most of the learning and relationship-building opportunities available to them. 

On his part, Dr. Kole Shettima, Country Director of the MacArthur Foundation, commended Agora Policy for organising the fellowship and acknowledged the organisation’s significant contributions to national policy discourse and reform efforts. Mr. Waziri Adio, Founder of Agora Policy, spoke on the format and roadmap of the fellowship, where he highlighted the competitiveness of the fellowship, noting that only 3% of applicants were selected. He encouraged fellows to maximise the opportunity presented by the workshops and other components of the fellowship and to commit fully to the learning process. 

The sessions covered at the workshop include: “Evidence and Public Policy,” delivered by Dr. Osasuyi Dirisu, Executive Director, Policy Innovation Centre; “Economics of Public Policy” and “Tools and Tips for Economic Analysis” by Dr. Mohammed Shuaibu, an economics lecturer at the University of Abuja; “Insights on Policy Writing and Implementation” by Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, a former commissioner and minister; “Research, Data and Policy Writing” by Dr. Joseph Ogebe, Head of Research at the National Economic Summit Group (NESG); “The Politics of Public Policy,” “Conducting Political Economy Analysis” and “Researching and Writing Impactful Policy Papers” by Prof. Remi Aiyede, a political science lecturer at the University of Ibadan; and “Budget Analysis,” and “Writing Frameworks and Case Studies” by Mr. Adio of Agora Policy.

Notably, fellows from the first cohort also shared their experiences and insights with the current fellows. The inception workshop will be followed by a series of virtual workshops over the next four months. Each fellow, working with an assigned supervisor, is expected to produce a policy brief of between 2,500 and 3,500 words during the fellowship.

Below are some of the pictures from the two-day inception workshop: