Strategic leadership key to Africa’s growth, says ISMN
The Institute of Strategic Management of Nigeria (ISMN) has said Africa is producing leaders capable of driving organisational growth and making a meaningful impact on the global stage.
The institute made the assertion at its 2026 Annual Conference and Annual General Meeting (AGM), held in Lagos on Thursday.
Abimbola Joseph
The Institute of Strategic Management of Nigeria (ISMN) has said Africa is producing leaders capable of driving organisational growth and making a meaningful impact on the global stage.
The institute made the assertion at its 2026 Annual Conference and Annual General Meeting (AGM), held in Lagos on Thursday.
The conference, themed “Igniting Africa’s Renaissance: Strategic Leadership, Innovation and Enterprise for Sustainable Growth,” brought together strategists, policymakers, entrepreneurs, business leaders and academics to discuss pathways to sustainable development across the continent.
In his welcome address, ISMN President and Chairman-in-Council, Mr Alex Enebeli, said preparing leaders remained the foundation of outstanding organisational performance.
According to him, effective leadership extends beyond academic qualifications, professional skills and experience, requiring strategic thinking, vision and purposeful preparation.
Enebeli said the institute collaborates with corporate organisations, government agencies and higher institutions to develop leaders capable of driving sustainable growth.
“Effective leadership requires vision, focus and clear strategic direction,” he said.
He added that ISMN is chartered by law to regulate and certify leadership and strategic management practitioners across Nigeria’s public and private sectors.
Enebeli urged senior executives to take advantage of the institute’s programmes to strengthen their leadership capacity and promote innovation, enterprise and good governance.
Delivering the keynote address, Mr Tony Attah, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Renaissance Africa Energy Company Ltd., said strategic leadership and innovation were essential to Africa’s competitiveness.
Represented by Dr Mesh Maichibi, Vice-President, Production, Attah said the company’s partnership with ISMN had strengthened leadership capacity through training, mentoring and knowledge-sharing.
He urged participants to apply lessons from the conference by making strategic decisions, building trust, strengthening relationships and focusing on value creation.
The guest speaker, Dr Abiola Babatunde-Ojo, Managing Director of Ardova Plc, said Africa’s future depended on preserving its identity while embracing progress.
Represented by Mrs Aderonke Akilo, General Manager, Strategy, Babatunde-Ojo said individuals who understood their identity were more confident and better equipped to drive meaningful change.
“The true measure of a nation’s progress lies in the quality of its people,” she said.
She stressed that investment in education, skills development, healthcare and leadership was critical to sustainable development because people remained Africa’s greatest asset.
Babatunde-Ojo also advocated practical innovation that addresses real-life challenges, creates jobs and improves livelihoods across the continent.
She urged Africans to focus on lasting, practical solutions rather than theoretical ideas, noting that everyday decisions would shape the continent’s future.
Also speaking, Dr Otive Ogbuzo, ISMN Past President and member of the Board of Trustees, said the institute is the only body legally recognised to regulate and promote strategic management practice in Nigeria through professional education.
He said ISMN contributes to national development by training and certifying strategic managers capable of formulating effective strategies, improving organisational clarity, strengthening execution and building high-performance cultures across public and private sector institutions.
According to Ogbuzo, strategic management is a multidisciplinary profession that enhances organisational effectiveness, efficiency and competitiveness while helping institutions achieve their objectives, reduce waste, improve quality, foster innovation and sustain long-term performance.
ISMN Registrar, Mr Obitunde Obiyemi, said strategic management remains indispensable to effective leadership, good governance and sustainable national development.
Obiyemi said the conference also served as a platform to induct new members while providing opportunities for strategists, policymakers, entrepreneurs and business leaders to address pressing development challenges.
He reiterated that ISMN is the only institute chartered by law to regulate strategic management practice in Nigeria.
According to him, the institute has contributed to national development for more than two decades through collaborations with governments and other stakeholders.
He cited ISMN’s support for strategic public service reforms in Lagos State as one example of its contribution to governance and institutional development.
Obiyemi urged leaders across Nigeria and Africa to embrace strategic planning, stressing that purposeful leadership backed by sound strategy would accelerate sustainable development across the continent.
