Our Programmes

Five issues.
One theory of change.

Despite Africa's demographic advantage and unprecedented access to knowledge, public policy and resource governance remain weak, exclusionary, and insufficiently evidence-based. We work to change that.

Theory of Change

Four pathways
to change

All five programmes operate across four interconnected pathways. Progress on any one depends on progress on all.

PATHWAY 01

Knowledge generation & policy intelligence

Ensuring public policies and development plans are better informed by evidence and context-specific analysis.

PATHWAY 02

Institutional capacity strengthening

Ensuring institutions demonstrate improved competence, coordination, and effectiveness in policy design and implementation.

PATHWAY 03

Citizen engagement & civic empowerment

Ensuring citizens are more capable, organised, and confident in engaging public institutions and influencing governance outcomes.

PATHWAY 04

Accountability, ethics & public resource governance

Ensuring public institutions become more transparent, accountable, and responsive to citizen needs.

Programme 01

Tax and Development

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Programme 01

Tax and Development

Making taxation fairer, more transparent, and more accountable to the people who pay it.

Nigeria's tax system is regressive in practice, opaque in administration, and disconnected from the services citizens receive. We work to strengthen domestic revenue, fiscal accountability, and public trust.

How we work

Research on tax policy, incidence, and administration at federal and subnational levels

Citizen education on what tax is, how it's collected, and what it funds

Advocacy with tax authorities and legislators on reform priorities

Coalition-building with tax justice allies across Nigeria and West Africa

Programme 02

Local Philanthropy

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Programme 02

Local Philanthropy

Building infrastructures for local giving, community-led development and social investments.

In a changing world, governments require domestic revenue sources — private wealth and capital — to finance development. We work to build and nurture infrastructures and systems for local philanthropy and foster collaborative development financing.

How we work

Promote convening on local and indigenous philanthropy

Support research, learning and advocate reforms to grow institutional philanthropy

Promote donor-collaboratives between local and international philanthropy

Fostering linkages between solidarity giving and institutional philanthropy

Programme 03

Debt and Development

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Programme 03

Debt and Development

Opening up how governments borrow, spend, and repay — so citizens can hold them accountable.

Nigeria's governments at every level borrow heavily — often without the public knowing the terms, the uses, or the repayment burden on future generations. We work to promote responsible borrowing and sustainable fiscal policy.

How we work

Tracking and analysing federal and subnational debt stocks and flows

Advocating for disclosure of loan agreements, project linkages, and repayment schedules

Training journalists and civil society to interrogate debt data

Contributing to national and regional debate on debt sustainability

Programme 04

Citizen Engagement

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Programme 04

Citizen Engagement

Equipping citizens, media, and civil society to participate meaningfully in governance.

A functioning democracy needs more than elections. It needs informed citizens, empowered media, open policy processes, and a state that listens. We work to build the capacity and platforms that make that possible.

How we work

Civic education curricula for communities, youth groups, and women's networks

Media training on governance, budget, and accountability reporting

Digital tools and platforms that democratise access to public information

Programme 05

Social Justice

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Programme 05

Social Justice

Advancing equity, inclusion and fairness in development policy for vulnerable populations.

At the federal, state, and local levels, governance failures disproportionately impact the poorest of the poor. We work to promote social protection for those most impacted by governance failures.

How we work

Co-creating forums and convenings on social protection for vulnerable communities

Advocating for policies and programs to accelerate job creation for young people

Promoting innovation, entrepreneurship and creativity among young people

Cross-Cutting Principles

Inclusion. Rights. Accountability.

Throughout our work, we promote inclusion, rights-based approaches and accountability to remain trusted, effective, and responsive — and to make sure the impact of our interventions is evident in the lives of Nigerians, communities, institutions and processes.

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