The Founder of the Legislative Mentorship Initiative (LMI), Rt. Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila, has formally approved the hosting of the Initiative under the platform of the Conference of Speakers and Presidents of African Legislatures (CoSPAL).
This landmark development provides an unique opportunity for LMI to be institutionally embedded within a continental interparliamentary institution. It brings to bear the wealth of CoSPAL’s parliamentary network, expertise, and partnerships in delivering high-level continent-wide access for the LMI Fellows. Furthermore, this collaboration opens up the Fellowship to participation from parliaments across Africa starting from 2026, positioning LMI as a truly continental programme.
The Secretary-General of CoSPAL, Amb. Dapo Oyewole was the inaugural Director of LMI in 2022 and now serves as the Chairman of the LMI Planning and Advisory Committee, ensuring strategic alignment between CoSPAL’s vision towards enhancing legislative leadership in Africa and LMI’s mission to build a new generation of public sector leaders.
Founded in 2022, by the 9th Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila, the LMI, is a flagship programme designed to identify, train, and equip emerging young public sector leaders, especially within the legislature, with the knowledge, skills, and exposure required to deliver transformative governance. Since inception, three cohorts have successfully graduated over 165 fellows from across Nigeria, ensuring gender balance, as well as the representation of people living with disabilities.
The 4th cohort of the fully residential LMI Fellowship will take place from November to December 2025, in Abuja, Nigeria.
For further inquiries or clarifications, please contact the LMI Director, Ms. Solape Sonuga via email at director@lmi.ng.
