ASCON TAKES NIGERIA’S PUBLIC-SERVICE REFORM VOICE TO STATECRAFT 2026

The Administrative Staff College of Nigeria (ASCON) is pleased to announce that its Director-General, Dr (Mrs) Funke Adepoju Olayomi, will serve as a panellist at STATECRAFT 2026: International Congress on Civil Service Reform and Democracy.

Dr Adepoju Olayomi will participate in the high-level session:
“Training, Professionalisation and Leadership Development”
The session will examine a critical governance challenge: better training does not automatically produce better government—particularly when trained public servants return to systems that resist innovation, accountability and improved performance.

As Director-General of ASCON, Dr Adepoju Olayomi will share the College’s emerging reform experience, including its transition from a conventional training institution into a National Reform Accelerator—connecting leadership development and professional training with institutional strengthening, digital transformation, performance management and measurable workplace outcomes.

The panel will be chaired by Ivor Chipkin, Co-founder and Director of the New South Institute.
Other panellists are:

  • Mr Kadari Singo, Chief Executive Officer, UONGOZI Institute, Tanzania
  • Professor Emma Crewe, Professor of Social Anthropology, SOAS University of London
  • Dr (Mrs) Funke Adepoju Olayomi, Director-General, Administrative Staff College of Nigeria

Dr Adepoju’s selection for this distinguished international panel is a significant recognition of ASCON’s growing visibility, institutional credibility and leadership in public-sector reform across Africa.

Her participation places ASCON—and Nigeria—at the centre of an important international conversation on how training institutions can move beyond awarding certificates to transforming leadership behaviour, strengthening public institutions and improving the quality of governance.

Date: Wednesday, 23 September 2026
Time: 10:10–11:20 a.m. SAST | 9:10–10:20 a.m. WAT
Link: https://lnkd.in/ehwC5yK6.
Platform: Statecraft 2026

ASCON is proud to contribute Nigeria’s experience, insights and reform ambitions to this important global platform.
ASCON: Building Capable Leaders. Strengthening Institutions. Accelerating Reform.