Nigeria Adopts New Strategy to Strengthen Public Sector Finances

Nigeria is taking steps to improve leadership and public financial management across the country as part of a broader African initiative aimed at strengthening the capacity of senior government officials involved in financial reforms.

The initiative, implemented by the African Capacity Building Foundation (ACBF) with support from the Gates Foundation, seeks to improve the leadership skills of public officials while encouraging peer-to-peer learning and the exchange of experiences among financial management leaders across Africa.

Nigeria and Tanzania were admitted into the second cohort of the Leadership and Governance in Public Financial Management programme, while Ethiopia became the ninth country to join the third cohort.

Speaking during a webinar, ACBF Executive Secretary, Mamadou Biteye, explained that the programme was designed to go beyond conventional technical training by incorporating self-assessment, personal development plans, individual and group coaching, peer learning, technical assistance and practical case studies based on real public financial management challenges.

According to Biteye, the approach is intended to ensure that leadership development produces measurable behavioural changes and contributes to lasting institutional reforms.

He said the programme focuses on strengthening the leadership capabilities of senior officials who play central roles in implementing public financial management reforms, while also providing a platform for African leaders in the sector to share knowledge and experiences.

Biteye disclosed that more than 295 participants from eight African countries had enrolled in the programme since its launch in 2024.

He stressed that effective leadership was essential to turning government policies, strategies and technical reforms into sustainable results, noting that systems and technical expertise alone could not guarantee lasting institutional transformation.

“Systems do not reform themselves. Budgets do not implement themselves. Digital platforms do not transform institutions by themselves. Policies do not deliver results by themselves. People do. And when they are equipped, inspired, and supported, institutions change,” he said.

Also speaking, Senior Programme Officer at the Gates Foundation, Adil Abarabu, said technical capacity alone was insufficient to deliver sustainable public financial management reforms.

Abarabu noted that many of the challenges faced by public financial management officials were connected to leadership issues, including resistance to change, coordination across government institutions and the ability to sustain reforms in challenging political environments.

He explained that discussions about improving public financial management often focused on areas such as budgeting, administration, digital systems and expenditure management, but stressed that these measures would have limited impact without strong leadership.

“Technical capacity is not enough if you want to target lasting reforms,” he said.

Abarabu further noted that government institutions were ultimately driven by people, making effective leadership development a crucial component of successful financial reforms.

He added that the management of public finances had become increasingly important amid global economic uncertainty and declining foreign aid.

According to him, decisions taken by ministries of finance, revenue authorities and treasuries directly influence governments’ ability to fund critical sectors such as education, healthcare, social protection and other essential public services.

The ACBF initiative is therefore expected to help African governments develop stronger leadership capacity capable of driving financial reforms, improving institutional performance and ensuring that public resources are managed more effectively.

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