Afrobarometer (http://Afrobarometer.org), in partnership with the African Leadership (AL) for Governance Network, concluded the 2026 Governance Sector Challenge in March, an eight-week immersive policy research and innovation programme designed to equip young African leaders with the skills to develop data-driven solutions to Africa’s most pressing governance challenges. 

Under the theme “Building public trust in institutions for better governance,” the 2026 sector challenge brought together 45 emerging public leaders to explore the drivers of institutional trust across the continent and co-create evidence-based policy recommendations that strengthen leadership accountability, institutional legitimacy, and the social contract between citizens and the state. 

The training programme provided a rare opportunity for participants from 14 countries (Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Namibia, Nigeria, Rwanda, South Africa, South Sudan, Tanzania, Tunisia, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe), many of whom had never used Afrobarometer data previously, to work in interdisciplinary teams to build foundational skills in accessing, interpreting, and analysing public-attitude data.

Participants engaged with expert mentors from the Afrobarometer network, learning how to design practical, context-sensitive policy proposals aimed at rebuilding trust in public institutions. The programme combined hands-on research, targeted coaching, workshops, and competitive pitching sessions. Outstanding policy briefs will be published in the AL for Governance Journal, amplifying youth-driven perspectives on governance reform.

“This partnership with AL for Governance reflects our shared commitment to building a new generation of African leaders who use data to drive change,” said Dominique Dryding, Afrobarometer’s capacity building manager (basic track).

“We celebrate the incredible work of participants who have transformed ideas into impactful policy briefs, and we look forward to seeing how they take Afrobarometer’s work forward.”

Lesego Otlhabanye, AL for Governance programme manager, highlighted the value of the training for promoting evidence-based policy advocacy grounded in citizen experiences: “This challenge represents a critical opportunity for young African leaders to translate data into meaningful policy action.”

“By equipping participants with Afrobarometer’s robust governance data and connecting them with experienced mentors, we’ve enabled the next generation to tackle one of Africa’s most pressing challenges by rebuilding trust between citizens and their institutions. The evidence-based solutions that have emerged from this programme have the potential to reshape how governments engage with and serve their communities.” 

The training programme forms part of Afrobarometer’s commitment to placing young leaders at the centre of policy innovation by strengthening data literacy, promoting empirical decision making, and expanding the pool of practitioners who can responsibly use public-attitude data to help improve democratic governance on the continent.