The African University of Science and Technology (AUST), Abuja, has launched the African Leadership Legacy Project (AFRILEAP), a pan-African research initiative aimed at strengthening governance, accountability and institutional continuity across Africa.

Speaking at the launch, AUST President, Professor Azikiwe Peter Onwualu, FAS, pledged the university’s full support for the initiative, noting that it aligns with AUST’s founding ideals and commitment to advancing Africa’s development through research, innovation and human capacity development.

Implemented through the university’s Centre for Pan-African and Peace Studies (CePAPS), AFRILEAP seeks to develop evidence-based tools for assessing leadership impact beyond individual tenures and promoting sustainable institutions. Leadership and public policy expert, Dr Dakuku Peterside, Executive Director of Penhall Consult and former Director-General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), has been appointed Executive Director of the project.

The initiative will develop the African Leadership Legacy Index to assess leadership across five dimensions: values transmission, institutionalisation of systems, human capacity development, socioeconomic impact, and public and organisational memory.

The project’s fellows include His Excellency Ambassador Jean Robert Pillard, Ambassador of the Republic of Haiti to South Africa; Professor Abdulhakeem Bello, Vice-President (Academics), AUST; Dr Eunice Ngozi Akpala-Okoroafor, Acting Director of Research and Innovation, AUST; Dr. Jerry Uchenna Nwohu, Special Adviser to the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives; Dr. Vitalis Chioh Anye, Head of Materials Science and Engineering, AUST; Dr. Maryam Maaruf Yakubu, Director of the National Assembly Budget and Research Office (NABRO); and Ambassador Gregory Uwemedimo Okon, former Nigerian Ambassador to Equatorial Guinea.

Dr. Bosco Chukwudumebi Okolo-Obi, Centre Leader of CePAPS, will serve as Programme Manager, while the centre’s Director, Chudi Uwazurike, has pledged its commitment to the project’s successful implementation and impact.

AFRILEAP will commence its research in Nigeria, with comparative studies planned in Ghana, Kenya, South Africa, Egypt and Rwanda. Over the next 18 months, the initiative will develop an open-access knowledge hub, policy briefs, executive masterclasses and a 12-month Future Legacy Leaders Fellowship to support leadership development, strengthen institutions and sustain Africa’s development outcomes.