By Abimnola Joseph
CITIZENS COMPASS— The Institute of Strategic Management of Nigeria (ISMN) yesterday, said Africa was producing leaders capable of driving organisational growth and global impact.
The institute made this known at its 2026 annual conference and Annual General Meeting (AGM) in Lagos.
The conference was with the theme: ‘Igniting Africa’s Renaissance: Strategic Leadership, Innovation, and Enterprise for Sustainable Growth.’
In his welcome address, ISMN President and Chairman-in-Council, Mr Alex Enebeli, said leadership preparation remained the foundation of outstanding performance.
Enebeli said leadership competence went beyond academic qualifications, professional skills and experience, stressing the importance of strategic preparation.
He said ISMN collaborated 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,” Enebeli said.
He added that ISMN was chartered by law to regulate and certify leadership and strategy practitioners across Nigeria’s public and private sectors.
Enebeli urged senior executives to leverage the institute’s programmes to strengthen their leadership capabilities and promote innovation, enterprise and good governance.
The keynote speaker, Mr Tony Attah, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Renaissance Africa Energy Company Ltd., said strategic leadership and innovation were crucial to Africa’s competitiveness.
Attah, represented by Dr Mesh Maichibi, Vice-President, Production, 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 building on its identity while pursuing progress.
Babatunde-Ojo, represented by Mrs Aderonke Akilo, General Manager, Strategy, said people who understood their identity became more confident and capable of driving meaningful change.
“The true measure of a nation’s progress lies in the quality of its people,” she said.
She said investing in education, skills, healthcare and leadership was essential to sustainable development because people remained Africa’s greatest resource.
Babatunde-Ojo also called for practical innovation that addressed real challenges, created jobs and improved lives across the continent.
She urged Africans to pursue lasting solutions rather than complex ideas existing only in theory, saying daily decisions would shape Africa’s future.
Also speaking, Dr Otive Ogbuzor, ISMN Past President/Member Board of Trustees said the institute is the only body legally recognised to regulate and promote strategic management nationwide through professional education.
He said ISMN drives national development by training and certifying strategic managers equipped to formulate strategies, improve organisational clarity, strengthen execution and build performance-driven cultures across public and private sector institutions for sustainable growth.
Ogbuzor described strategic management as a multidisciplinary profession that enhances organisational effectiveness, efficiency and competitive advantage.
He said it helps institutions achieve objectives, minimise costs and waste, improve quality, encourage innovation and sustain long-term performance.
The ISMN Registrar, Mr Obitunde Obiyemi, said strategic management remained critical to effective leadership, good governance and sustainable national development.
Obiyemi said the conference brought together strategists, policymakers, entrepreneurs and business leaders to address development challenges and induct new members.
He said ISMN was the only institute chartered by law to regulate strategic management practice in Nigeria.
According to him, the institute has contributed to national development for over two decades through collaborations with governments.
He cited its support for strategic public service reforms in Lagos State as one example of its contribution to national development.
Obiyemi urged leaders across Nigeria and Africa to embrace strategic planning, saying purposeful leadership backed by sound strategy would accelerate development.
