What Harvard scholars discovered in West Africa, By Wasiu Olanrewaju-Smart

For all of us at Harvard Kennedy School, the policy trek provided a crucial reminder that public policy ultimately concerns people, their aspirations, ingenuity, and capacity to transform challenges into opportunities. As I listened to my colleagues share their experiences, I could see how they had returned to Cambridge with a deeper appreciation for Africa’s abundance and its pivotal role in shaping our global future.

When we resumed at Harvard Kennedy School last year, Africa became a topic of interest among many fellow students. As discussions unfolded during classes and informal gatherings, it became increasingly clear that there was a disconnect between media portrayals of the continent and the complex realities on the ground. Many of us felt the Western media had not done justice to the true African story, and our non-African classmates expressed a genuine desire to see the continent firsthand.

For those of us in the African Caucus, this presented the perfect opportunity we had been waiting for; to showcase the possibilities, opportunities, and challenges in our home countries beyond the limiting narratives often portrayed in the global media. The idea of the 2025 policy trek was born.

We agreed to organise a 2025 Harvard Policy Trek that would span four African countries – Nigeria, Ghana, Rwanda, and Kenya. I served as one of the organisers for the West Africa leg (Nigeria and Ghana), alongside Sheffy Kolade, Benedicta Fosu-Mensah, Stephen Akpakwu, and Prosper Amuquandoh, while Joannes Yimbesalu and others led the East Africa component to Rwanda.

Though pressing family commitments prevented my physical presence during the policy trek, I remained deeply involved in the planning process and participated virtually throughout. Our organising team’s efforts turned the Nigeria-Ghana trek into the talk of the campus, a feat that filled me with immense pride, knowing that some of our fellow students withdrew from their earlier commitments to policy treks in other continents to settle for Nigeria and Ghana, which turned out as a choice of no regret.

Our formal planning began during the Fall semester of 2024, with our first meeting held at the Tasty Burger Restaurant on JFK Street in Cambridge. What started as conversations over burgers and fries evolved into a complex logistical operation spanning two continents. The challenges were numerous, from securing visas and navigating immigration requirements for 50 people of different nationalities, arranging international and local transportation, security, finding suitable accommodation, and perhaps most dauntingly, securing appointments with high-profile business and government leaders across two countries.

We leveraged on our networks to help secure key meetings and coordinated with Harvard Kennedy School alumni in both countries. Our Harvard delegation ultimately comprised 50 scholars representing 18 nationalities – a truly global perspective embarking on a journey that would challenge preconceptions about modern West Africa. This diverse group included policy experts, business minds, sustainability advocates, and development practitioners from Harvard Kennedy School, Harvard Business School, Harvard Chan School of Public Health, and joint degree students with Stanford and MIT.

Though I couldn’t be there physically, the daily updates, photos, and video calls allowed me to experience the trek vicariously through my colleagues. In Ghana, they immersed themselves in the vibrant culture of the Makola Market, navigating through narrow pathways lined with colourful fabrics and handcrafted goods, a firsthand glimpse into the entrepreneurial energy that powers Ghana’s informal economy.

One of the highlights was their meeting with former President of Ghana, John Kufuor. His insights on democratic transitions and institution-building provided crucial context for understanding Ghana’s development journey. My colleagues shared how his emphasis on stable institutions as the foundation for sustainable growth resonated deeply with our HKS studies.

Their visit to Cape Coast proved emotionally powerful. Standing in the dungeons of Cape Coast Castle, where enslaved Africans were held before the Middle Passage, many of our colleagues reported feeling history’s weight pressing down on them. The juxtaposition of this painful history with the natural beauty of Kakum Park’s canopy walkway offered a poignant reminder of Africa’s complex narratives of tragedy and resilience.

I was particularly interested in their meeting with the new Vice President of Ghana, Professor Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang, who illuminated the new administration’s efforts to reform Ghana’s economy and strengthen regional integration. As feedback poured in through our group chat, it was clear that these high-level engagements were challenging many of our colleagues’ preconceptions about governance in Africa. The delegation also visited Enterprise Group Plc, where the board chairman, Mr Keli Gadzekpo, is an alumnus of HKS, before heading to Nigeria.

The Nigeria leg of the trek proved equally highly transformative. In Abuja, our Harvard delegation met with Nigeria’s Vice President, Senator Kashim Shettima, who revealed Nigeria’s bold policy reforms. “President Tinubu has proven his mettle as a bold and decisive leader,” he told them, detailing how the administration tackled the albatross of fuel subsidies. He highlighted initiatives in alternative energy, including a N158 billion investment in electric vehicles for the North-East, and reforms to unify exchange rates and strengthen fiscal policies.

Particularly notable was his candid discussion of Nigeria’s response to foreign aid cuts, a topic that resonated with many of our public policy students. “I urged the delegation to look beyond negative narratives and see the real progress we’re making,” the vice president noted.

Also present at the meeting with the vice president were Nigeria’s Finance Minister, Wale Edun; Minister of Trade and Investment, Dr Jumoke Oduwole (a 2023 Fellow at Harvard Kennedy School); and the Special Adviser to the Nigerian President on Energy, Mrs Olu Verheijen, an HKS alumna. The Chief of Staff to the President of Nigeria, Femi Gbajabiamila, who is an alumnus also provided tremendous support and logistics to us.

The delegation also met with the Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria, Mr Olayemi Cardoso, who is another Harvard Kennedy School alumnus. During virtual debriefings, my colleagues shared how Mr Cardoso discussed Nigeria’s monetary policy reforms, efforts to stabilise the naira, and strategies to control inflation, while promoting economic growth. This meeting highlighted the real-world application of policy principles taught at HKS and demonstrated how Harvard graduates are shaping economic policy across Africa. The HKS Alumni Network of Nigeria in Abuja hosted the policy trekkers to sumptuous Nigerian local delicacies and cultural dance before departing for Lagos.

From all accounts, the highlight of the trek was meeting Alhaji Aliko Dangote and touring his petroleum refinery in Ibeju-Lekki, Lagos, the world’s largest single-train facility with a capacity of 650,000 barrels per day. The photos and videos shared in our group were stunning, showcasing an engineering marvel representing an investment exceeding US$19 billion.

“Life is not worth living without ambition. In this life, nothing is impossible,” Dangote told our colleagues during a 40-minute Question & Answer session, after personally guiding them through his new oil refinery. When they returned to campus after the Spring break, many described this as the most inspiring moment of the entire trek— seeing how persistence through seemingly insurmountable challenges, including the complexities in Nigeria’s oil sector, resource mobilisation constraints and the COVID-19 pandemic, could result in transformative achievement.

Also in Lagos, our colleagues explored Nigeria’s rich artistic heritage at JK Randle Museum, Nike Art Gallery, and the Nigeria Conservative Foundation. They also engaged with Mr Tony Elumelu, chairman of Heirs Holdings, Transcorp, United Bank for Africa (UBA), and the Tony Elumelu Foundation. Mr Elumelu shared his ‘Africapitalism’ philosophy, emphasising the need for private sector investment to drive economic prosperity in Africa.

Another major highlight in Lagos was the State Dinner hosted by Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu and his wife, Dr. Ibijoke, in honour of the Harvard delegation. The governor highlighted Lagos as a major hub for finance, technology, and entertainment and engaged our Harvard Scholars in a Question & Answer session on his policy efforts and challenges. In a touching gesture, the governor gifted each international guest a beautiful Eyo figurine. The Lagos State government also supported tourism visits through the Special Adviser to the Governor on Tourism, Arts and Culture, Mr Idris Aregbe.

The management of Tolaram Group, a Singaporean enterprise with significant presence in Nigeria, hosted the Harvard scholars to a dinner, whilst sharing with them the company’s diversified business portfolio across consumer products, infrastructure, and fintech, with joint ventures like Dufil Prima Foods (Indomie) and Kellogg Tolaram, and investments in infrastructure like the Lagos Free Trade Zone and Lekki Port. Last year, Tolaram acquired a major stake in Guinness Nigeria, which I considered another strong show of business confidence in Africa.

The debriefing sessions I had with my colleagues upon their return to campus in Cambridge allowed me to absorb the powerful lessons that transcended typical media narratives. They had witnessed nations in transformation — governments implementing difficult reforms, entrepreneurs creating world-class enterprises, and citizens navigating the challenges between tradition and modernity with remarkable creativity and resilience.

From market vendors in Makola to executives at Dangote Refinery, from political leaders to artistic visionaries, they encountered Africans writing their own narratives of progress. As a classmate on the policy trek observed about Dangote, his “vision and resilience” serves as “an inspiration to entrepreneurs” globally.

For all of us at Harvard Kennedy School, the policy trek provided a crucial reminder that public policy ultimately concerns people, their aspirations, ingenuity, and capacity to transform challenges into opportunities. As I listened to my colleagues share their experiences, I could see how they had returned to Cambridge with a deeper appreciation for Africa’s abundance and its pivotal role in shaping our global future.

I’m excited that Africa continues to enjoy from the abundant talents of her ambitious youth who have channelled their young energy towards good causes. Aliko Dangote and Chimamanda Adichie will be visiting our class at Harvard this month with Professor Hakeem Belo-Osagie, Africa’s billionaire businessman and 1980 MBA graduate of Harvard Business School, who teaches “HBSMBA 1555: Understanding Africa: Business, Entrepreneurship and Political Economy,” a highly competitive class I cross-registered into from the Kennedy School.

Dangote’s words continue to resonate, “In this life, nothing is impossible.” After witnessing Africa’s ambition, I am inclined to believe him. Working with my colleagues to organise this policy trek and witnessing its impact on our global academic community have been some of the most rewarding aspects of my Harvard Kennedy School experience.

The true measure of our success lies not just in the high-profile policy engagements and cultural experiences but in how this trek has transformed perspectives and inspired a new generation of emerging global leaders to engage more deeply with Africa’s possibilities.

Wasiu Olanrewaju-Smart is an Edward Mason Fellow in Public Policy and a Master’s degree in Public Administration candidate at the Harvard Kennedy School, USA. He can be reached via olanrewaju_smart@hks.harvard.edu