By Safia Abdulrahman

The Aig-Imoukhuede Foundation has developed a Public Sector Reform Playbook to guide governments in implementing sustainable reforms, managing resistance to change and ensuring continuity beyond individual administrations.

Director of Programmes, Aig-Imoukhuede Foundation, Ms Chioma Njoku, said this during a news conference on Thursday in Abuja, ahead of the official inauguration scheduled for Nov. 19.

Njoku said the playbook was designed as a practical resource to guide government institutions and reform practitioners through diagnosing challenges, designing solutions, implementing changes and sustaining reforms.

She said the playbook drew on three case studies covering corporate governance and the business environment, treasury management and taxation.

According to her, the foundation also examined reform experiences in five African countries to identify successful approaches, challenges and lessons that could be adapted to Nigeria’s public sector.

Njoku said one of the major considerations in developing the playbook was the need to address resistance to change, which she described as a recurring challenge in reform implementation.

“Effective change management, strategic communication, transparency, proper procurement and honest measurement of progress are essential to achieving sustainable results,” she said.

The director emphasised that public sector transformation should focus on strengthening institutions rather than depending on individual leaders.

She said that meaningful reforms could take years, emphasising the need for policies and institutional structures that would survive changes in political leadership.

Njoku said the playbook encouraged reformers to begin with the most urgent and achievable priorities rather than attempting to change everything at once.

She added that involving relevant stakeholders from the beginning was crucial, noting that reforms imposed on people were less likely to receive the support required for sustainability.

“The document was developed through research, reform experiences across Africa and consultations with government officials, heads of agencies, public policy experts and monitoring and evaluation practitioners,” she said.

Njoku said the resource was intended for ministries, departments and agencies, state reform teams, civil society organisations, legislators, development partners, the media, students and researchers.

She added that the playbook would be freely available for download on the foundation’s website.

Njoku said the Nov. 19 inauguration, scheduled to hold in a hybrid format at the Afreximbank African Trade Centre, Abuja, would feature practical reviews and discussions on how stakeholders could apply the resource.

She said sustainable transformation required collective commitment and deliberate efforts to ensure that reforms were passed from one generation of reformers to another.(NAN)

Edited by Abiemwense Moru