Nigeria
Good Governance Africa - Nigeria (GGA-Nigeria) Aims to contribute to good governance, through research, policy engagement and other activities that help promote sustainable socio-economic development in Africa’s largest economy and most populous country.Three Research Pillars
The GGA-Nigeria research stream is our core activity and is organised around three thematic pillars; each reflects Nigeria’s pressing challenges and impending opportunities:
Programmes
As the pre-eminent centre of excellence working to improve governance in the country, GGA-Nigeria’s activities are organised around these core thematic pillars that reflect Nigeria’s most pressing challenges and opportunities:
Security
GGA-Nigeria’s Security pillar focuses on strengthening governance responses to insecurity by generating evidence-based insights, policy solutions, and strategic dialogue on conflict prevention, peacebuilding, and security sector governance. Our work supports policymakers, civil society, and communities to design sustainable approaches that enhance public safety, protect human rights, and reinforce state legitimacy.
Programmes
As the pre-eminent centre of excellence working to improve governance in the country, GGA-Nigeria’s activities are organised around three core thematic pillars that reflect Nigeria’s most pressing challenges and opportunities:
Improving the Business Environment (BIZ-ENV PROGRAMME)
This programme covers analysis of “software” issues that currently constrain well-functioning markets and dynamic business sectors in Nigeria. Priority themes include enhanced corporate governance, competitiveness and corporate sustainability and responsibility. The programme aims to lead pioneering research on standardised reporting and transparent accounting, which applies to both government and business.
Programmes
As the pre-eminent centre of excellence working to improve governance in the country, GGA-Nigeria’s activities are organised around three core thematic pillars that reflect Nigeria’s most pressing challenges and opportunities:
Improving the Business Environment (BIZ-ENV PROGRAMME)
This programme covers analysis of “software” issues that currently constrain well-functioning markets and dynamic business sectors in Nigeria. Priority themes include enhanced corporate governance, competitiveness and corporate sustainability and responsibility. The programme aims to lead pioneering research on standardised reporting and transparent accounting, which applies to both government and business.
Ethical Investment
We promote responsible, transparent, and sustainable investment practices that align economic growth with good governance and social impact. This pillar supports investment frameworks that prioritise integrity, environmental responsibility, and inclusive value creation, strengthening trust, improving investment readiness, and contributing to long-term economic resilience.
Youth Advocates for Good Governance (YAGG)
The Youth Advocates for Good Governance pillar empowers young Nigerians to actively participate in democratic processes and governance reform through leadership development, civic education, policy advocacy training, and platforms for engagement with decision-makers.
Anti-corruption and Government Accountability
GGA-Nigeria’s Anti-Corruption and Government Accountability pillar strengthens transparency, oversight, and responsible public sector performance by promoting evidence-based accountability reforms.
Institutional Capacity and Service Delivery
This pillar strengthens the effectiveness, responsiveness, and accountability of public institutions to deliver quality services to citizens. We support government agencies and public institutions to improve governance systems and adopt evidence-based decision-making processes.
Climate and Natural Resources Governance
This pillar promotes transparency, value creation, conflict-sensitive resource management, and alignment with global climate and sustainability frameworks, ensuring that natural resources contribute to inclusive development rather than instability or environmental degradation.
Our publications
Revitalising the Local Government System for Development in Nigeria
igeria has six geopolitical zones with a total of 774 local government areas (LGAs). Contrary to what obtains in most federal system, Nigeria’s 774 LGAs are listed in the Nigerian 1999 constitution....
Economic diversification through mining requires gender and community rights focus
The pressure to diversify Nigeria’s economy presents opportunities. Yet, deeper reform in mining is needed to realise the sector’s enormous potential. If there is an African country that requires...
Global cities offer lessons to Lagos on dynamic optimisation of transport
Commuting between mainland Lagos and the central business districts on the island remains a lot more onerous than it should. Long delays on the Third-Mainland Bridge during peak periods (what...
Improving citizen’s participation in governance
To achieve meaningful progress in development before the next election cycle in 2023, there is a need to increase participation in governance beyond the elections. Citizen’s participation in...
Effective taxation of informal sector through local community partnership
Nigeria’s informal sector consists of several artisans, traders, shop owners and market women and men. Unlike the formal sector where it is easier to track and collect Pay as You Earn (PAYE), Value Added (VAT) and Withholding (WHT) taxes, the informal sector is a big, potential taxable businesses and services pool.
Nigeria should enlist foreign help to rebuild anti-corruption institutions
Despite commendable successes such as Nigeria’s surge up the World Bank’s Ease of Doing Business ranking, its citizen are disillusioned with the President Buhari-led government and its unfulfilled promise of change and a stalling anti-corruption war.
Retooling Nigeria’s youth service corps to drive national transformation
Nigeria is among the one hundred and six or so countries with no enforced conscription into its military. However, it has a mandatory civilian service for its fresh graduates who are less than 30 years of age as at the time of graduation and have not served or are actively serving in any state run security organisation.
News from the region
Quickly access all the latest news, articles and press releases from our centres operating in Nigeria
GGA Nigeria
Dr Ola Bello
GGA Executive Directors
Oladiran (Ola) Bello obtained both his MPhil and PhD degrees in International Relations from the University of Cambridge and also holds a First Class BSc degree from the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife. He has worked for organisations including the United Nations (New York) and Management Systems International (Washington DC), Merchant International Group (London) and Arthur Andersen (later KPMG). Dr Ola Bello has more than 10 years of experience in research and policy advisory, including on governance and extractive sector reform; sustainable development; and international development cooperation (including in EU-Africa relations). He spent three years with FRIDE (Spain) managing a donor-funded programme on the EU’s role in managing fragility and resource governance in select African countries. In 2012-2015, he was Head, Governance of Africa’s Resource Programme (GARP) at the South African Institute of International Affairs (SAIIA) and also functioned as head of SAIIA’s Cape Town office. Ola is spearheading GGA's technical support to Nigerian reform, including delivering ethics training for senior Nigerian judicial officers and change-makers (2017-2019). He's also working to expand GGA's role as in-country resource centre for multilateral consultative missions to Nigeria's ministries and parastatals. These missions include the UNECA/AU mineral sector governance team.
Fisayo Alo
Author
Fisayo Alo is a Senior Researcher at Good Governance Africa Nigeria where he coordinates and supports research efforts. Fisayo has fifteen years of experience working in the development consulting, research, quality control, and community engagement. His interests include citizen participation in governance, policy analysis, economic development, and sustainable community development. Fisayo holds a Master’s degree in Public Administration (University of Lagos), a Post Graduate Diploma (PDG) in Agricultural Extension and Rural Development (Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta), a Certificate in Ethical Circular Economy (Arizona State University), and a B Sc. degree in Microbiology from Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU). He has managed a number of development projects and agricultural value chain studies for International donor agencies, such as USAID, FCDO, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and GTZ.
Eniayo Ibirogba
Author
Eniayo Ibirogba is a law graduate from the University of Buckingham, United Kingdom. Before studying law he got a degree in international law and diplomacy from Babcock university, Ogun state, Nigeria. His core interests are policy advisory, community development and human rights.
Julia Bello-Schunemann
Author
Dr Julia Bello-Schünemann is a multilingual research consultant. She is versed in integrated forecasting across sectors (including demographics, infrastructure, economics, conflict and violence, etc.), trend and risk analysis, data analysis, policy advice for governments and international organisations. Her expertise straddles Africa, Latin America, the Caribbean, and the European Union. She possesses vast experience in project management, fundraising, strategic planning, multi-stakeholder consultations, training and facilitation. She is currently an Associate Senior Research Consultant with Good Governance Africa-Nigeria. She holds a PhD in International Relations from the Complutense University Madrid, Spain and an MA in Communication, Political Science and Economics from Ludwig-Maximilians-University, Munich in Germany.
Mark Adogah
GGA Chairmen
Mr Mark Adogah was appointed Chairman GGA-Nigeria in 2021. Mark is a Director at Citibank Nigeria’s Banking, Capital Markets and Advisory (BCMA) business. He is responsible for driving and supervising Citi Nigeria’s strategy for multinational Branded Consumer Goods, Aviation and Oil Services clients. He has been involved in several landmark lending and financing transactions in the industry. Mark has over 23 years’ experience in the areas of financial statements audit and assurance, business advisory and corporate and investment banking. He started his career with Arthur Andersen in Nigeria (now KPMG Professional Services) and worked in the Corporate Bank of Zenith Bank Plc and the Corporate Finance desk of FCMB Capital Markets Limited before joining Citibank. He has been in a senior management role since joining Citibank as an Assistant General Manager in October 2008. He is a Fellow of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA), a member of The Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN) and The Chartered Institutes of Bankers of Nigeria (CIBN). Mark holds a BSc (Hons) degree in Accounting and a Master's degree focused in Finance and Investments from the University of Exeter, United Kingdom. Mark has extensive local and international training on leadership, negotiation, derivatives, risk management, advanced credit skills and other areas of accounting, finance and banking. He is happily married with children.
Kabir Hassan
Author
Kabir Hassan is a researcher at Good Governance Africa-Nigeria. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Transport Planning and Policy from Lagos State University, Nigeria. His research focuses on sustainable transport development and planning, with a strong interest in policies that promote equitable and efficient mobility systems. Kabir is actively involved in community development work, especially youth capacity-building initiatives and youth civic engagements. He has been part of notable transport-related projects through his roles at the Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport Authority (LAMATA) and TSL Metroline Limited, where he was involved in road transport network operations and survey analysis.
Lawal Asiata
Author
Lawal Asiata is currently the office manager and project coordinator for GGA Nigeria. She has worked as a librarian and personal assistant in both private and government parastatals. Asiata holds a bachelor's degree in Library, Archival and Information Studies from University of Ibadan, Nigeria. Her hobbies include reading and travelling.
Malik Samuel
Author
Malik Samuel is a senior researcher at Good Governance Africa-Nigeria. Before joining GGA, he was a researcher with the Institute for Security Studies, specialising in the Boko Haram conflict in the Lake Chad Basin Region. Malik also worked as a conflict researcher with Amnesty International Nigeria. He was also a Médecins Sans Frontières/Doctors Without Borders field communications manager in Northeast Nigeria. Before that, he was an investigative journalist at the Abuja-based International Centre for Investigative Reporting. Malik holds a Master's degree in Conflict, Peace, and Security from the Universitat Oberta de Catalunya and the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR).
Adejumo Kabir Adeniyi
Author
Adejumo Kabir Adeniyi is a senior researcher at Good Governance Africa-Nigeria. He is an expert with many years of experience in community development work and governance accountability sector. Before joining GGA, Adejumo worked at Premium Times and HumAngle Media, two of Nigeria’s biggest newspapers specialising on conflict and accountability reporting. His work has featured on esteemed local and international platforms, including Zam magazine, El Pais, IJNet, Premium Times, HumAngle Media and TheCable among others. He is a 2019 recipient of the Diamond Awards for Media Excellence, a 2020 recipient of the Thomson Foundation Young Journalist Award in the United Kingdom, and a 2021 recipient of NAREP Oil and Gas Fellowship.
Mariam Hassan
Author
Mariam Hassan is a researcher at Good Governance Africa-Nigeria. She is a graduate of Public Health from Babcock University, Nigeria. Mariam has contributed to health interventions through her engagements at Action Health Incorporated, where she supported adolescent health programmes, and at the Youth Clinic of Lagos State University Teaching Hospital, where she gained hands-on experience in youth-centred healthcare services. She is passionate about creating positive change in communities through research and advocacy, and also supports capacity-building initiatives that specifically target women and young people.
GGA Nigeria
GGA – NIGERIA
GGA-suite (G-12),
Regus, The Waterside,
5, Admiralty Rd, off Admiralty way,
Lekki Phase 1,
Lagos, Nigeria.
Tel: +234 1 4627411-3
Email: info.nigeria@gga.org
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