LBS Family Business conference to address governance, succession challenges – Director

By Merit Ibe

The Family Business Initiative at Lagos Business School (LBS), Pan-Atlantic University, is set to hold its 2026 conference to address on-going challenges, including governance gaps, succession issues, cultural mismatches, and the lack of professionalised systems.

Director, LBS Family Business Initiative, Dr Okey Nwuke, who made the disclosure recently in a press briefing emphasised that the the 2026 International Family Business Conference (IFBC), is scheduled for March 26, 2026, at the Ecobank Pan African Centre (EPAC), Victoria Island, Lagos at 8am.

Applauding Ecobank Nigeria for hosting the event, Nwuke noted that IFBC is designed not just as an annual event but also as part of a long-term, strategic plan to shape the future of family businesses across Africa.

Since family-owned enterprises make up over 80 per cent of private companies on the continent and play a vital role in employment and community development, the conference aims to address on-going challenges, including governance gaps, succession issues, cultural mismatches, and the lack of professionalised systems.

Dr Nwuke highlighted the deliberate and evolving structure of the IFBC themes over the years.

He said in 2024, the conference focused on “From Family Enterprise to Family Institution: Climbing the Longevity Ladder,” emphasising institutional thinking. In 2025, it shifted to “Preparing the Next Generation for Stewardship: Building a Lasting Legacy,” stressing successor readiness and leadership transition; and now, in 2026, it takes a significant step forward with the theme “Beyond Survival: Governance & Culture as the Foundation of Lasting Family Legacies,” focusing on the core behaviors, discipline, and shared values that turn governance frameworks into living practices.