Civic leaders from Nigeria have spent time with business and academic experts from the University of Wolverhampton, learning how UK councils operate.
More than 30 elected executives of the Nigerian Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE) flew into the UK and stayed in Wolverhampton earlier this month.
They were met by members of the University of Wolverhampton’s Business School and took part in a programme showing them how the Wolverhampton City Council deals with the issues of leadership and management in the 21st century.
The delegation, led by the President of NULGE, Comrade Ibrahim Khaleel, was in Wolverhampton from Wednesday 15 to Friday 17 January.
The Business School developed a programme to help the delegates understand key principles of governance, leadership and management in UK local authorities.
Six senior officers from Wolverhampton City Council worked alongside Business School academics to share UK practice of local governance.
As well as demonstrating current best-practice in local administration, officers from the council were able to explain how the British system has evolved to give local authorities greater freedom to innovate than they have ever had before.
On the last day, the delegates were welcomed at a civic reception by the Mayor of Wolverhampton, Councillor Malkinder Jaspal.
The event was co-ordinated by Dr.Paschal Anosike,, senior lecturer in HR and Leadership for the University.
Professor Geoff Layer, Vice Chancellor of the University of Wolverhampton, said: “As a university, we are committed to investing resources in the communities in which we operate, particularly Nigeria.
“We seek to do this through partnerships with institutions, such as NULGE, as well as working with individuals”.
Speaking for the Business School, Dr. Anthea Gregory, dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences, said: “The Business School has developed and grown it’s partnership working with Nigerian communities through a range of capacity building programmes with Nigerian institutions.
Our relationship and work with NULGE is yet another opportunity to continue to empower individuals and communities in Nigeria.”