Five years ago, a simple but profound question reshaped the civic landscape of Africa: Why does politics in Africa continue to fail its people despite the continent’s wealth of talent, resources, and human potential?

Dr Obiageli Ezekwesili posed this question and pursued answers through a research fellowship at the Robert Bosch Academy in Berlin. Her work revealed a troubling reality, a continent where public leadership had drifted far from public service, and where citizens had become spectators in their own democracy.

Dr Ezekwesili convened thinkers and development practitioners to study the challenge. Their findings showed that Africa’s political culture, as structured, could not deliver the future its young population desired. This research produced what Dr Ezekwesili calls the “Triangular Pillars of Democracy”:

1. Empowered and engaged citizens,
2. Values-based leadership,
3. Institutional reform: constitutional, electoral, and political reforms.

From this framework came #FixPolitics and its public leadership training arm, the School of Politics, Policy & Governance (SPPG). Both were founded on a simple belief: if politics is the root of Africa’s challenges, then politics must be transformed. Citizens must be empowered, leadership must meet a higher standard, and political institutions must be reformed.

SPPG was created as Africa’s first and only Public Leadership Laboratory Initiative to dismantle the production pipeline of poor-quality leadership. It opened in 2021 to groom a new class of leaders defined by Character, Competence, and Capacity. Its ten-month program blends rigorous learning with real-life problem-solving across ethics, policy, public institutions, economics, governance innovation, and community leadership.

In five years, #FixPolitics and SPPG have expanded into four African countries—Nigeria, Senegal, Kenya, and Ghana. Across Nigeria and Senegal alone, SPPG has trained over a thousand emerging leaders. It has also created the SPPG Network of Public Leaders (PLN), a lifelong community that supports SPPG graduates with life-long mentorship, collaboration, policy development, and service.

The impact is real: in Nigeria’s 2023 elections, ten SPPG graduates won their party primaries and became candidates, while 22 graduates from Nigeria and Senegal have been appointed into public service positions. #FixPolitics has also earned support from respected partners, including Schmidt Futures, 100x Impact Accelerator at the London School of Economics, Luminate, GIZ, MacArthur Foundation, Heinrich Böll Foundation, Shehu Musa Yar’Adua Foundation, and Arise Television. #FixPolitics also works with numerous civil society and private sector partners across Africa to drive its programs.

These partnerships have powered bold initiatives such as The Africa Conference, an annual gathering that brings together reformers and citizens to tackle governance challenges; the Big Ideas Platform, which nurtures innovative African solutions to African problems; the Office of the Citizen (OOTC) Initiative, which builds a motivated and informed electorate; and the #FixPolitics Dialogue Series, a respected platform for discussing governance issues including electoral processes, diaspora engagement, and the role of citizens in democracy.

Today, #FixPolitics stands as a prominent voice for governance reform. Its advocacy covers empowering values-driven women for Nigeria’s 2027 elections, contributing to constitutional amendment processes, pushing for the restoration of electronic voting in the Electoral Act 2022, and supporting citizens’ education and voter mobilisation efforts in Nigeria and Ghana. The ambition remains bold: expand SPPG into 20 African countries, train thousands more leaders, and help shift political culture across the continent.

Perhaps the most remarkable achievement is the emergence of a committed community of practice, the Work Study Group (WSG). These passionate volunteers across Nigeria, Senegal, Kenya, and Ghana dedicate their time, talent, and treasure to advancing the triangular pillars mandate. Margaret Mead’s timeless words, “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has”, truly come alive through the selfless work of the WSG members.

In November 2024, leadership transitioned smoothly from Dr. Ezekwesili to Mr. Frank Nweke II, reflecting the organisation’s values of continuity and institutional strength. Dr Ezekwesili’s founding conviction remains the compass: If we fix politics, we will fix Africa.

Five years on, that vision is moving from aspiration to reality. Bit by bit, leader by leader, country by country. The journey is long, the work demanding, and the stakes high. But hope is alive. And with #FixPolitics illuminating the path, the future of democratic leadership and governance in Africa looks increasingly promising.

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Anthony Ubani is the Executive Director of #FixPolitics Africa. He writes from Abuja.