By HADIZA BALA USMAN

Policy writing is not merely a technical exercise. It is a public responsibility. It is one of the instruments through which societies define their problems, debate their options, clarify their priorities and organise action for the common good. In governance, the quality of policy thinking often shapes the quality of policy outcomes. A poorly defined problem will usually produce a weak intervention. A policy proposal that does not understand context, institutions, fiscal realities, implementation capacity and citizen experience may be impressive in form, but limited in impact.

This is why initiatives such as the Agora Policy Writing Fellowship matter. They help to cultivate the discipline of evidence, the habit of rigorous analysis, and the capacity to translate complex public problems into clear and practical policy arguments.

It is important to note that Nigeria does not suffer from a shortage of ideas. Across sectors, we have had plans, strategies, reports, white papers and reform proposals. The more difficult task has always been to convert ideas into priorities, priorities into institutions, institutions into implementation, and implementation into measurable improvements in the lives of citizens. This is the central challenge of governance. It is also the central opportunity before public policy scholars, practitioners, civic actors and public officials.

One idea from democratic theory is useful for our reflection today. John Dewey, the American philosopher and educationist, described democracy not simply as a form of government, but as “a mode of associated living.” In other words, democracy is not exhausted by elections, procedures or institutions. It is sustained by participation, communication, shared responsibility and the continuous engagement of citizens in the affairs that shape their lives. This idea is especially relevant to public policy and governance. A democracy becomes stronger when citizens have access to information, when institutions are responsive, when public choices are explained, and when government performance can be examined against evidence.

Therefore, evidence-based policy is not only about improving administrative efficiency. It is also about strengthening democratic life. It allows citizens to move from speculation to informed engagement. It allows public officials to move from assumptions to measurable priorities. It allows researchers and civic actors to move from general criticism to constructive accountability.

The close-out ceremony of the Policy Writing Fellowship and the unveiling of two laudable portals by Agora Policy sit within this broader democratic purpose. The Local Governance Accountability Portal and the Policy Registry are not merely digital platforms. They are instruments for deepening the relationship between information, participation and accountability.

The present moment in Nigeria demands disciplined policy thinking and coordinated implementation. Government is undertaking significant reforms across the economy, public finance, revenue mobilisation, social investment, education, infrastructure, agriculture, security and public service delivery. These reforms are being pursued in a context of heightened citizen expectations, fiscal constraints, institutional complexity and urgent development needs. This makes policy coordination not just desirable, but essential.

A policy coordination framework, known as the National Policy Coordination Framework, has therefore been developed to strengthen coherence, tracking and accountability across government. This effort was led by the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation in collaboration with the Office of the Special Adviser to the President on Policy Coordination, with contributions from the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies and the Nigerian Economic Summit Group, and support from the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office Partnership for Agile Governance and Climate Engagement (FCDO-PACE).

The objective of that framework is to support a more disciplined approach to the implementation of government priorities. It seeks to ensure that policies, programmes and deliverables are better aligned with national objectives, that responsibilities are clearer across institutions, and that progress can be assessed more systematically. This is important because one of the recurring challenges in public administration is not always the absence of policy, but the fragmentation of policy effort. Too often, government institutions work in silos. Programmes overlap. Mandates are misunderstood. Reporting lines are unclear. Implementation is delayed by weak coordination rather than lack of intention.

A stronger policy coordination culture helps government to ask basic but important questions. What are the national priorities? Which institutions are responsible? What resources are required? What outcomes are expected? What timelines are realistic? What indicators will show progress? What obstacles are emerging? What corrective action is required? These questions may appear administrative, but they are at the heart of public trust. Citizens judge government not only by the announcement of reforms, but also by the delivery of results.

It is therefore important to emphasise that the National Policy Coordination Framework is not an abstract document, but a practical tool designed to institutionalise discipline across the entire policy cycle, from problem identification and policy design to implementation, monitoring, evaluation and feedback. At its core, the framework promotes clarity of priorities, alignment of programmes, measurable deliverables, and continuous performance tracking through structured reporting mechanisms such as Ministerial Deliverables and the Central Results Delivery Coordination Unit. It also reinforces the importance of evidence, stakeholder engagement and adaptive learning in policy execution.

In this regard, the close-out of the Agora Policy Writing Fellowship aligns strongly with the spirit and intent of the framework. By equipping fellows with the skills to define problems rigorously, analyse options systematically and communicate policy choices clearly, this programme contributes to building the human capacity required to make the framework effective in practice. It strengthens the pipeline of analysts and practitioners who can support government institutions in translating policy intent into coordinated action and measurable results.

Nigeria is currently navigating difficult but necessary reforms. These include the removal of long-standing distortions in public finance, efforts to strengthen revenue mobilisation, and the push for tax reform. Additionally, there is renewed attention to social protection, and interventions in education, infrastructure and economic opportunity. These all point to a larger question: how can government build a more sustainable foundation for inclusive development? The answer cannot lie in policy statements alone. It must lie in disciplined implementation, institutional coordination, credible data, transparent communication and citizen-centred evaluation.

For example, the expansion of student financing through the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) reflects an important policy effort to reduce barriers to tertiary education and widen access to opportunity. Similarly, the development of consumer credit architecture seeks to expand access to credit and improve economic inclusion for working Nigerians. Across sectors, the challenge is to ensure that such interventions are not treated merely as isolated programmes, but as part of a broader development logic. Policy must move from paper, to process, to people. This is where the work of policy writers, researchers and civic institutions becomes indispensable. A serious policy ecosystem helps government and society to understand what is working, what is not working, why progress is slow, and what must be adjusted.

The unveiling of the Local Governance Accountability Portal by Agora Policy is particularly important because local government remains central to Nigeria’s development outcomes. Federal policy may set national direction, but many of the services that citizens encounter most directly are experienced at the local level. Primary education, primary healthcare, sanitation, markets, rural roads, community infrastructure and local administration all affect the everyday quality of life of citizens. A child who is out of school lives in a community. A primary healthcare centre without adequate personnel or medicine is located in a ward. A bad access road that affects farmers and traders exists in a specific local government area. A market that lacks basic sanitation serves real families and affects livelihoods.

For this reason, national development must be understood not only in macroeconomic terms, but also in local governance terms. If service delivery fails at the local level, citizens experience governance as distant, ineffective or absent. The Local Governance Accountability Portal can therefore help to make local government more visible. By providing access to information on local government profiles, financial allocations, elected officials and other relevant data, it can support more informed public engagement. However, transparency is only the beginning. Data must be used. Citizens must engage it. Journalists must interrogate it. Researchers must analyse it. Civil society must translate it into advocacy. Public officials must treat it as an opportunity to improve performance and rebuild trust.

Accountability should not be understood only as exposure or criticism. At its best, accountability is a system of learning, correction and improvement. It helps institutions to identify gaps, respond to citizens and strengthen delivery.

The unveiling of the Policy Registry also by Agora Policy is equally timely. One of the persistent weaknesses in Nigeria’s policy environment is the fragility of institutional memory. Too often, important documents are difficult to access. Past reports are forgotten. Lessons from earlier reforms are lost. New actors enter government without sufficient knowledge of what has been attempted, what has succeeded, what has failed and why. This leads to duplication, inconsistency and policy discontinuity. It also weakens the ability of institutions to build on experience.

A policy registry can help to address this by providing a central repository for policy documents that are useful to policymakers, researchers, journalists, students, civic actors and development partners. More importantly, it reminds us that policy is a continuum. Every administration inherits institutions, obligations, reform efforts and unfinished work. Good policymaking must therefore be historically informed. It must ask: What has been done before? What evidence exists? What lessons should be retained? What assumptions should be challenged? What should be improved?

It is also important to emphasise that government too is a continuum, with a wealth of institutional knowledge, experience and accumulated policy work that should be recognised and leveraged. The Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, as the custodian of policy processes, plays a critical role in maintaining this continuity and ensuring coherence across administrations. I therefore encourage Agora Policy to continue to engage closely with the Office of the SGF and other relevant government institutions in the development and updating of the Policy Registry and related platforms.

Such collaboration will help to ensure accuracy, completeness and alignment with official records, while also strengthening trust and usability. Globally, the most effective think tanks operate not in isolation, but in constructive partnership with government, academia and civil society. By deepening these collaborative linkages, Agora Policy can further enhance the relevance, credibility and impact of its work within Nigeria’s evolving policy ecosystem. Strong policy systems do not begin from zero each time. They learn, adapt and evolve.

To the graduating fellows, your role is important because the public policy space needs writers who can bring discipline, clarity and responsibility into public debate. Nigeria needs policy writers who can be rigorous without being detached; critical without being cynical; patriotic without being uncritical; and practical without being intellectually lazy. We need analysts who understand that evidence matters, but who also recognise that policy operates within institutions, budgets, politics, law, culture and public expectations. We need writers who can simplify complexity without distorting it. We need researchers who can speak to government in a language that is useful, and speak to citizens in a language that is clear.

The responsibility of the policy writer is not only to diagnose problems. It is also to clarify choices, assess trade-offs, identify constraints and propose feasible pathways for action. Evidence-based policy writing can help to elevate the quality of national conversation. As you conclude your Policy Writing Fellowship, recognise that this milestone marks the beginning of a broader professional journey. Beyond the craft of writing lies the equally important task of engaging with institutions, processes and real-world implementation. I encourage you to build experience across both dimensions and to contribute meaningfully to the policy ecosystem. Share your ideas with relevant institutions. Translate your research into actionable policy briefs. Engage public officials constructively. Write for wider audiences. Support civic education. Follow implementation and track outcomes. Policy writing should not end on the page; it should inform institutions, shape public discourse and contribute to measurable improvement.

The future of governance in Nigeria will depend not only on the policies we announce, but on the systems we build, the evidence we use, the values we uphold and the results we deliver to citizens. To the graduating fellows, let this be your charge: do not write only to be read. Let your work clarify choices, challenge weak assumptions, and strengthen institutions. Let it inform citizens and make government more responsive. Approach your craft with courage and discipline, with conviction grounded in evidence, and with a deep sense of duty to the people whose lives public policy is ultimately meant to improve.

•Ms. Bala Usman, Special Adviser to the President on Policy and Coordination Head, Central Results Delivery Coordination Unit, delivered this address at the Agora Policy event held on June 25, 2026 in Abuja.

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