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How Project Management Will Help Nurture the Next Generation of Changemakers in Nigeria
A quick look at Africa today and one thing is clear, the continent is a growing economy overflowing with opportunity and potential.
Organisations such as The African Leadership Academy (ALA) recognise this and are highlighting the advantages young people, who commit each day to thinking differently and breaking boundaries, bring to the region’s future.
The African Leadership Academy takes a step forward to acknowledge that Africa’s power will be significantly strengthened by leaders who promote peace, entrepreneurs who create jobs, and innovators that develop lasting solutions toward the inhibitors of Africa’s growth. By empowering young Africans with the skills necessary to achieve these goals, ALA is investing in the continent’s future.
On Saturday, November 27, 2021, The African Leadership Academy hosted an event in Lagos, Nigeria in partnership with the Project Management Institute (PMI) to offer the necessary guidance into entrepreneurship and project management with the aim of solving issues within communities in Nigeria. The event was a huge success with over 100 young people attending, and the majority leaving with positive remarks and skills.
During the event, the students were offered scenarios and exercises to explore hypothetical simulations of real-world experiences, this gave them the opportunity to expand their thinking and tackle issues related to Nigeria. A common framework the team used was The African Leadership Academy problem-solving template ‘BUILD’; Believe, Understand, Invent, Listen, Deliver. Through this template, the students were taught how to implement solutions and tackle challenges in their communities to equip themselves with the knowledge needed to meet Nigeria’s core needs for active growth.
The story of the former ALA member and well-known African hero, William Kamkwamba is otherwise known as ‘The Boy Who Harnessed The Wind’ was noted at the event as a key changemaker for his village in Malawi as he managed to solve famine and drought issues in his village at the age of 14, through building a windmill. The students were inspired by Kamkwambas’s story and encouraged to see themselves as both changemakers for Nigeria, and vessels of talent that had the opportunity and ability to propel the country towards realising its full economic potential.
A study by Project Management Institute states that the disparity between available talent and the growing demand for project management skills is partly due to Africa’s huge growth in business and not enough talent to fill it. Through continuous educational events and courses like those offered by The African Leadership Academy and Project Management Institute, the next generation will be equipped with the skills and knowledge to tackle the issues facing Sub-Saharan Africa.
Through the skills gained, it is inevitable that the next generation of Africa will have the confidence to take advantage of the vast opportunities currently present in Africa with competence and ease.
New data from CFA Society Nigeria is reshaping how the country’s financial sector thinks about talent development, with Access emerging as the single largest source of CFA candidates in Nigeria, distinction industry watchers say signals a deeper shift in how leading institutions are building investment expertise from within.
In its Where Nigeria’s Finance Professionals Work series, published in a national daily, CFA Society Nigeria placed Access first among employers of CFA candidates nationwide, with 82 candidates enrolled in the programme, more than double the 38 recorded at the next-placed institution and well ahead of every other bank or financial services firm on the list.
Access also ranked second among employers of CFA charterholders, with 11 professionals who have completed all three levels of the Programme and met its experience and ethics requirements.
For an industry that has long measured itself by balance sheet size and branch count, the rankings point to a different kind of competition: one over who is building the deepest bench of certified, globally credentialed talent.
CFA Society Nigeria compiled the data from its Salesforce Membership Database as at June 2026, and described the exercise as a way of recognising employers whose people “bring rigour, integrity and global best practices into the workplace every day.”
Analysts following the sector say the outcome is notable less for the ranking itself than for what it suggests about talent strategy across Africa’s financial services industry. A single institution developing more aspiring charterholders than the rest of the market combined raises the floor for professional standards nationally, not just within one balance sheet.
Every candidate who advances through the CFA Programme adds to a shared pool of ethics-trained, analytically rigorous professionals that Nigeria’s capital markets, pension funds and asset managers all eventually draw from.
Access Holdings Group Chief Executive Officer Innocent C. Ike, commenting on the rankings, framed the achievement in terms of institution-building rather than recruitment: “Every candidate on that list represents our commitment to building institutions and professionals that endure.”
The remark echoes a broader thesis increasingly voiced by market observers, that talent depth, not scale alone, is what will determine which African financial institutions earn lasting global credibility.
That distinction sits at the centre of Access’s stated ambition to become the World’s Most Respected African Financial Services Group. If the CFA numbers are any indication, the Group’s route to that goal runs less through square metres of branch network and more through the calibre of the people sitting inside it, a bet that Nigeria’s finance professionals, and the institutions that will one day hire them, are already placing alongside Access.
Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has announced plans to introduce Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) baggage tracking technology across domestic and international airport terminals to tackle the growing problem of delayed, misrouted and missing luggages
Michael Achimugu, director, Public Affairs and Consumer Protection, NCAA, disclosed this at a stakeholder engagement forum in Lagos.
Achimugu said the RFID-enabled system would replace the traditional barcode-based baggage tracking framework and provide airlines and passengers with real-time visibility of checked luggage from check-in to final collection.
According to him, the technology would improve baggage traceability, reduce mishandling and strengthen accountability across the baggage-handling chain.
Unlike conventional barcode systems, RFID technology allows baggage to be automatically scanned at multiple points without requiring direct line of sight, enabling real-time tracking of luggage throughout its journey.
Achimugu said issues involving short-landed, missing, lost or damaged baggage had remained among the major complaints from air travellers, alongside flight delays.
He said the introduction of RFID technology was therefore aimed at improving baggage-handling standards and restoring passenger confidence in the aviation sector.
The NCAA said the initiative also aligns with IATA Resolution 753, which requires airlines to track baggage at key points during the passenger journey.
The authority expects the technology to provide more accurate information on the location of luggage, facilitate quicker resolution of baggage-related complaints and improve the overall passenger experience.
The NCAA said the initiative would also strengthen accountability among airlines and other stakeholders involved in baggage handling at Nigerian airports.
eTranzact International Plc has called for increased adoption of digital payment solutions among micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs), saying access to technology is critical to improving business efficiency, financial inclusion and growth.
The company also said it was deepening its partnership with the Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN) to expand digital access and financial literacy among small businesses across the country.
In a statement, the Divisional Head, Merchant Services, eTranzact, Mrs. Abimbola Reis, stated this at the SMEDAN/eTranzact Town Hall Engagement in Lagos recently, themed, “Financial Literacy and Inclusion for MSMEs Leveraging on Fintech Innovation.”
Reis described MSMEs as the backbone of Nigeria’s economy, noting that the sector comprises almost 40 million businesses and contributes significantly to economic growth and job creation.
However, she said many businesses continue to face challenges including limited access to finance, inefficient payment systems, weak financial reporting, cash-flow constraints and inadequate access to digital platforms.
She added that trust concerns also affect businesses’ ability to access finance, while heavy reliance on cash increases exposure to theft and makes payment reconciliation more difficult.
Representing the Director-General of SMEDAN, Prof. Yinka Fisher said the town hall was aimed at generating practical ideas and solutions that would support the growth and expansion of MSMEs.
“The essence of this engagement is to share ideas and concepts that will help MSMEs thrive and expand. Our partnership with eTranzact is about expanding the frontiers of MSMEs and ensuring they continue to grow,” he said.
Also speaking, representative of the Director-General of the Nigerian Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (NACCIMA), Dr. Praise Adedigba said businesses could no longer depend solely on hard work to remain competitive.
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