WATCH: AUDA-NEPAD, WSG launch innovative executive programme

10 March 2026

Advocate Melanchton Makobe, Acting Director-General of the Department of Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation, joined H.E. Nardos Bekele-Thomas, Chief Executive Officer of AUDA-NEPAD, Professor Themba Maseko, Head of the Wits School of Governance, and Professor Garth Stevens, Deputy Vice-Chancellor: People Development and Culture at the University of the Witwatersrand, to officially launch the Public Sector Innovation and Transformation for Sustainable Development Executive Management Programme. The launch included a formal partnership signing ceremony and a high-level keynote dialogue on the future of governance and public sector transformation in Africa.

Implemented by the African Union Development Agency (AUDA-NEPAD) in partnership with the Wits School of Governance (WSG), the Executive Management Programme is a high-level leadership initiative designed to strengthen public sector innovation, institutional resilience, and policy transformation across the African continent. The programme convenes Ambassadors, senior public officials, and high-level policymakers for executive-level engagement on innovation, digital transformation, governance reform, and sustainable development.

Following the launch event, participants will take part in several days of intensive executive training and policy dialogue focused on equipping leaders with practical tools and strategic insights to strengthen governance systems and drive sustainable development outcomes across Africa.

Across Africa, public institutions are navigating rapid technological change, demographic shifts, fiscal pressures, and evolving citizen expectations. Strengthening institutional capacity and innovation within the public sector is essential to delivering inclusive growth, social justice, and sustainable development outcomes in line with Agenda 2063 and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

In response, AUDA-NEPAD and the WSG have formalised a strategic partnership to deliver a high-level Executive Management Programme aimed at equipping senior public leaders with forward-looking governance capabilities.

The programme will explore priority thematic areas including:

• Public sector innovation and institutional reform
• Global health and sexual and reproductive health systems
• Financing systems and fiscal sustainability
• Digitalisation and artificial intelligence
• Institutional resilience and governance transformation

Through applied dialogue, peer learning, and expert-led sessions, participants will gain practical tools to enhance accountability, strengthen public institutions, and drive sustainable development within their respective countries and regions.

Objectives of the Executive Management Programme: 

  • Strengthen leadership capacity among senior public officials across Africa
  • Promote innovation-driven governance reform and institutional resilience
  • Enhance policy coherence aligned with Agenda 2063 
  • Foster peer learning and continental collaboration among high-level decision-makers
  • Equip leaders with practical tools for digital and institutional transformation