Chief Afe Babalola, Founder, Afe Babalola University
Afe Babalola University (ABUAD), Nigeria, in partnership with Trinity Western University (TWU), Vancouver, Canada, and the African Centre for Leadership, Strategy & Development (Centre LSD), will host the 2025 International Conference on Leadership & Governance for Sustainable Change & Wealth Creation (2.0) on Friday, October 17, 2025, at ABUAD, Ado-Ekiti.
The conference theme is: “Shaping Transformational Leaders for a Changing World: Tackling Insecurity, Governance, and Development.”
A Press Statement released by the Executive Director of the African Centre for Leadership, Strategy & Development (Centre LSD), Mr. Monday Osasah, FSM, stated that the event is part of the awareness programne in commemoration of the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty, observed globally on October 17 every year, as a reminder that poverty is not only about income but about dignity, justice, and belonging.
The Day is set aside to honour the perseverance of those living in poverty and calls on governments, institutions, and citizens to act with respect, empathy, and effective support.
This year’s focus—ending social and institutional maltreatment by ensuring respect and effective support for families—resonates strongly with Nigeria’s realities. Despite its abundant wealth and natural resources, Nigeria continues to grapple with high poverty levels.
The World Bank (2019) recorded an average growth rate of 7.4%, yet economic downturns following the 2014–2016 oil price collapse, coupled with institutional weaknesses, plunged millions into poverty. By 2016, Nigeria experienced its first recession in 25 years.
Today, as of April 2025, 30.9% of Nigerians live below the international extreme poverty line of $2.15 per day, with rural poverty rates soaring to 75.5%. Alarmingly, 15% of the world’s poorest people live in Nigeria. These realities underscore a critical truth: poverty in Nigeria is not merely an economic issue, but a leadership challenge.
Persistent poverty is compounded by inequality, corruption, ethnic conflict, and weak governance institutions—problems that demand transformational leadership to resolve.
At Centre LSD, we affirm that the crises Nigeria faces—whether of poverty, governance, or insecurity—are fundamentally crises of leadership. Only visionary, accountable, and transformational leadership can tackle the systemic roots of poverty and unlock sustainable development.
The International Conference on Leadership & Governance 2.0 will bring together academics, policymakers, civil society, and development actors to engage in practical dialogue on shaping leaders who can drive inclusive growth, institutional reforms, and people-centered development.
Centre LSD, ABUAD, and TWU invite government stakeholders, civil society, development partners, the media, and the general public to join the landmark conversation on Nigeria’s democratic and development trajectory.