The inaugural fellows of the Behavioural Insights Network Transparency Accountability (BiNTA) Fellowship Programme of the Policy Innovation Centre have graduated following the completion of impactful anti-corruption projects across Nigeria.
The fellows, who were inducted in November 2023 have gone through rigorous training sessions and implemented anti-corruption projects with the support of their mentors.
While delivering his goodwill message at the graduation ceremony which held in Abuja, Dr Abdullahi Usman Bello, the Chairman, Code of Conduct Bureau, commended the PIC team and the fellows for their commitment to fighting corruption in Nigeria.
Dr Usman Bello stressed that the event marks a significant milestone in the fight against corruption and the promotion of ethical practices within both the public and private sectors in Nigeria.
He said, “it is my firm believe that the knowledge, insights, and solutions generated by the BiNTA fellows will make a significant impact on the way we approach governance and anti-corruption initiatives in Nigeria.”
Also, Dr Osasuyi Dirisu, the Executive Director of IPC who congratulated the fellows on the journey so far shared that the PIC team will not relent with the first cohort, but will also build the capacity of interested Nigerians to fight corruption in the country.
Dr. Dirisu also noted that the fellows are now onboarded as collaborators in the fight against corruption.
She said “ we are moving you from being fellows into collaborators. Together, we will be driving a large ecosystem of people who can do valuable work to fight corruption in Nigeria.”
Dr. Amina Saliu, Senior Programme Officer at MacArthur Foundation, who witnessed the project presentations delivered by the fellows shared that, “this is an uncommon moment, I am impressed about the strategic relevance of each idea and all projects that have been implemented by these fellows.”
Speaking about the specific use of Behavioural Insights (BI) to tackle corruption, Dr Saliu said “the beauty of BI is that it is not limited to one issue, it can be applied to a lot of things.”
She thereafter charged the fellows that “as you leave this fellowship, know that this is the kind of learning that as you’re finishing it, you’re learning it.”
She also highlighted the importance of mainstreaming gender and social inclusion strategies in projects going forward and that the government should be engaged strategically at all levels of implementation.
Other speakers at the graduation include Mr Akinwumi Akinola, the Behavioural Insights Lead at PIC; Femi Obidare, the Coordinator of the BiNTA fellowship programme; Mr Friday Ode from Accountability Lab and other mentors in attendance.
At the inception of the fellowship, the fellows were shared into different groups and they implemented different projects. The projects were; “Engaging Anyigba Youth and Community Leaders in Governance & Accountability Awareness,” implemented by Ubuntu Group; Minimizing Energy Theft in Kabusa Community,” implemented by PowerHouse Group; and Examining Behavioural Dynamics in Addressing the Challenge of Exam Malpractice in FCT, Abuja, Nigeria, by the Catalyst Group.
The fellowship program was supported by the MacArthur Foundation.