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By Chinenye Anuforo
Nigeria’s ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Kenya’s top public service leadership and Ghana’s energy regulator are among key African stakeholders expected to take centre stage as public sector leaders from more than 15 countries converge in Accra for the 2026 Africa Public Sector Conference & Awards (APSCA).
The seventh edition of APSCA, scheduled for October 14 to 16 at the Kempinski Hotel Gold Coast City, Accra, will focus on how African countries can build stronger institutions capable of responding to the continent’s digital, environmental, security and economic challenges.
The conference is themed “Governance 2030: Resilient Institutions for a Digital, Green & Secure Africa.”
The event, organised by InstinctWave Group, is expected to attract governors, ministers, heads of public service, directors-general, chief executives and leaders of state-owned enterprises from across Africa.
Nigeria is expected to have a particularly strong presence at the conference, with APC National Chairman, Prof. Nentawe Goshwe Yilwatda, expected to lead the Nigerian delegation.
Yilwatda is also expected to deliver a keynote address examining the role of governing political parties in building effective institutions.
His proposed topic, “The Party as Platform: How Governing Parties Can Architect Digital, Green and Secure Governance for 2030,” is expected to broaden the conversation around the role of political parties beyond elections and political campaigns.
The organisers said the discussion would focus on how political mandates can be translated into stronger institutions, better public services and measurable development outcomes.
For Nigeria, the discussion is expected to provide an opportunity to present its ongoing governance and institutional reforms under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda to an international African audience.
Yilwatda’s background in digital technology and development, as well as his previous experience in government, is also expected to bring digital transformation, social impact and institutional development into the conversation.
The conference will feature 12 specialised forums covering areas considered critical to Africa’s development.
They include governance and institutional leadership, women in the public sector, energy, public procurement, public finance, trade, digital government, education, public-private partnerships, ESG and sustainability, customer experience and youth empowerment.
The organisers said the wide-ranging programme reflected the growing recognition that institutional reform cannot be achieved through government policy alone.
They said effective governance would require stronger collaboration between governments, businesses, technology companies, civil society organisations and development institutions.
Kenya will also play a major role at the conference.
Its Chief of Staff and Head of Public Service, Hon. Felix Koskei, is expected to lead the Kenyan delegation, which will include senior government officials, public-sector executives, policymakers and leaders of state-owned enterprises.
Kenya is also expected to showcase some of its public-sector innovations at the Made in Africa Festival, the exhibition component of the conference.
The presence of Nigeria and Kenya is expected to create an opportunity for the two countries to exchange experiences on digital government, institutional reform and public-sector transformation.
Ghana’s National Petroleum Authority (NPA) will lead discussions on another critical issue for the continent — energy governance.
The NPA, which is the Gold Sponsor of APSCA 2026, will lead the Africa Energy Governance & Sustainable Development Forum.
The forum will bring together policymakers, regulators and energy industry executives to examine how better governance, regulation and investment can improve energy security and support Africa’s economic transformation.
The discussions are particularly significant as African countries grapple with the need to expand energy access while developing more sustainable and resilient energy systems.
Energy security has increasingly become intertwined with industrialisation, digital infrastructure, investment, climate resilience and national competitiveness.
Group Chief Executive Officer and Group Publisher of Public Sector Global Magazine, Akin Naphtal, said the conference would come at a critical period for African governments.
“As Africa looks toward 2030, the true test of leadership is shifting from the eloquence of campaign promises to the durability of public institutions,” Naphtal said.
He said bringing countries such as Nigeria and Kenya together would provide a platform for practical knowledge exchange among political and administrative leaders.
Naphtal also highlighted the inclusion of political party leadership in a conference traditionally centred on public administration.
“Real, lasting transformation happens when political mandates are deliberately mapped onto institutional capacity, digital infrastructure, and sustainable energy policies,” he said.
The conference will also feature the Made in Africa Festival, showcasing African technology, public-sector solutions, trade and economic opportunities.
The event will culminate in the APSCA Awards, which will recognise leaders, institutions and project teams for contributions to public value delivery across Africa.
InstinctWave Group, the organiser of the conference, was founded in England in 2005 and has operations across Ghana, Nigeria, Kenya, Tanzania, Liberia, Rwanda and Botswana.
With governance reform, digitalisation, energy security and institutional resilience increasingly shaping Africa’s development agenda, APSCA 2026 is expected to provide a major platform for policymakers and public-sector leaders to compare experiences and chart a path towards 2030.
