Carifika Nigeria, in partnership with The Bridge Leadership Foundation, implemented a six-week Leadership & Governance Sector Challenge for Mastercard Foundation and African Career Network (ACN) Scholars in Rwanda. The programme, themed “From Policy to Practice: Young Leaders Re-imagining Governance in Africa,” was designed to equip young leaders with practical skills to address real governance challenges across the continent.
The Sector Challenge adopted a blended learning approach, combining virtual sessions with a final demo showcase. It focused on strengthening participants’ capacity in ethical leadership, policy analysis, stakeholder engagement, and governance innovation, while enhancing their employability and readiness for leadership roles in public, private, and civic sectors.
The programme commenced with a foundational Leadership Boot-camp, and a six-weeks rigorous training sessions featuring insightful sessions led by Mr. John Bassey and Mr. Rotimi Eyitayo, who guided scholars through key themes including leadership and governance in Africa, ethical decision-making, and relevant case studies from Rwanda and across the continent.
Over the six-week period, participants worked in teams across four thematic tracks; Youth Leadership & Civic Participation, Ethical Leadership & Public Accountability, Governance Innovation & Digital Transformation, and Community-Level Governance & Service Delivery, to design practical, inclusive, and scalable solutions to governance challenges.
This collaboration reflected a shared commitment by both organisations to nurture a new generation of ethical, innovative, and action-oriented African leaders capable of driving sustainable development and strengthening governance systems across the continent.
