NILDS DG Tasks African Parliaments on Innovative Governance, Digital Skills for Sustainable Dev’t

Sunday Aborisade in Abuja 

The Director-General of the National Institute for Legislative and Democratic Studies (NILDS), Prof. Abubakar Sulaiman, has charged parliamentary institutions across Africa to embrace innovation, digital governance and continuous capacity building as tools for strengthening democratic processes and achieving sustainable development in the sub-region.

Sulaiman made the call on Monday in his opening address at a five-day capacity building workshop organized by NILDS in collaboration with the Parliamentary Institute of the Republic of Benin (IPaB), under a three-year Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the two institutions.

The workshop, themed, ‘Legislative Process and Procedure, Policy Analysis, Innovative Management Skills and Strategic Administrative Techniques for Sustainable Development,’ is taking place at NILDS headquarters in Abuja. 

It brings together parliamentary staff from the Republic of Benin for intensive training on modern legislative practice, policy analysis and institutional management.

According to Sulaiman, the programme underscores NILDS’ commitment to promoting effective governance, legislative excellence and institutional capacity across Africa. 

He stressed that the quality of governance in any society is directly linked to the competence of policymakers and the strength of the institutions that guide them.

He said: “Good governance cannot thrive without sound policy formulation, robust legislative frameworks and efficient administrative structures.

“This training is designed to deepen participants’ understanding of legislative processes and policy formulation while equipping them with innovative management and leadership skills needed for 21st-century governance.”

The NILDS boss emphasized the growing importance of technology and artificial intelligence in modern governance, noting that digital transformation is now essential to legislative efficiency and transparency.

“One of the modules in this workshop explores the application of Artificial Intelligence in parliamentary processes.

“This is a subject of increasing importance in today’s digital governance ecosystem, and our parliaments must not be left behind,” he said.

He described capacity building as “a continuous process of renewal and reflection”.

Sulaiman noted that NILDS’ engagements with regional and international parliaments have shown that targeted learning interventions can significantly improve institutional performance and governance outcomes.

He further urged participants from the Republic of Benin to take full advantage of the interactive sessions and share experiences that can help shape innovative strategies for public service delivery.

“Sustainable development depends not only on visionary policies but also on capable institutions and committed individuals who can translate policy intentions into tangible results for citizens,” he added.

The Director-General expressed appreciation to the leadership of the Benin Republic’s Parliament and the management of IPaB for their collaboration and commitment to strengthening parliamentary institutions across West Africa.

The delegation from Benin Republic was led by Dr. Fatahau Djima, Director of Parliamentary Staff at the IPaB.

The workshop, which runs for five days, will feature modules on legislative oversight, policy evaluation, strategic administration and innovative governance tools tailored to enhance institutional effectiveness within African parliaments.