The Director General of the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS), Kuru, Professor Habu Shuaibu Galadima, has declared that new and innovative thinking are required to tackle the challenges facing Nigeria and the rest of Africa.
Galadima made this statement at a virtual ceremony on Wednesday to mark the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding between NIPSS; the Dantiye Centre for Good Leadership and Journalism (DCLJ) and the JS Centre for Governance and Security Policy Initiative (CGPSI).
He said: “We must dig deep within ourselves and reach beyond our comfort zones for useful, practical and beneficial solutions.
“With the insurgency in the Sahel impacting parts of Nigeria and a number of other countries in the region; political tensions, often related to elections; disputes over trade and regional protocols; significant climate changes affecting the largely agrarian economies of the region; not to mention the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic disease and its ramifications for public policy, particularly public health, safety and the economy, the world is indeed going through a period that tasks the creative energy, innovative spirit and imagination of institutions such as NIPSS.”
He said the problems confronting the world also presented unique opportunities, adding that the MoU would provide the framework for the National Institute to seize the opportunities.
Galadima said the focal objective of the MoU is to promote, establish and maintain cooperation and mutual assistance in the provision of training and strategic policy research and advisory support in the field of regional (Africa) and global issues.
He said: “We are confident that this partnership will also assist Nigeria and other countries in the sub-region in the quest to promote collaborative politics; the ECOWAS protocols on good governance; the African Union Charter on Democracy, Elections and Governance (ACDEG) and the African Union Agenda 2063; the United Nations Agenda 2030; and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).”
Those present at the signing of the MoU were the Chairman of the Dantiye Centre, Emeritus Professor Munzali Jibril, and the Chairman of the CGPSI, Dr. Jonathan Sandy, who was represented by Dr. Tony Karbo.
Jibril and Karbo praised the leadership and foresight of the NIPSS and expressed confidence that the MoU would open a new frontier in collaborative problem-solving on the continent.
