By Olusegun Folarin
Former President of Nigeria, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, has launched an institute to equip leaders with the skills, capability, and vision necessary to transform their nations and the continent collectively.
The Olusegun Obasanjo Leadership Institute, OOLI, is a movement aimed at reclaiming Africa’s leadership narrative and investing in a new generation of principled, prepared, and people-focused leaders.
Inaugurating the institute at the Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library in Abeokuta, Ogun State, the former President explained that the institute was in response to the leadership deficit in Africa, which he noted had hindered the continent’s development and prosperity.
Chief Obasanjo pointed that OOLI was not just an academic institution, but a hybrid that would borrow from the best practices of the military and other institutions.
The former president expressed confidence that the institute would become a beacon of excellence in leadership education, preparation, and practice, announcing that the institute would collaborate and network with organizations and institutions with similar aims and objectives.
He commended several African leaders, including President John Mahama of Ghana, President Ameenah Gurib-Fakim of Mauritius, former President Kgalema Motlanthe of South Africa, and former President Macky Sall of Senegal, for their roles in leadership development in Africa.
