CASE STUDY | MORIM

CASE STUDY

The African Institute for Governance and Management (AIGM)

MORIM Institutional Transformation Academic Strategy

The Challenge: A Continent at a Crossroads

Africa stands at a pivotal moment. Rapid digital transformation, the rise of artificial intelligence, and pressing sustainability challenges are reshaping economies and societies across the continent. Yet, a critical gap persists: the absence of a dedicated, independent pan-African institution capable of providing prospective governance—the ability to anticipate future challenges and opportunities rather than merely react to them.

In Côte d'Ivoire, this gap was particularly acute. While the country boasts robust professional bodies there was no unifying platform to harness their collective expertise for strategic foresight and governance innovation.

The result is fragmented efforts, missed opportunities for cross-sectoral collaboration, and a lack of institutional memory to guide policy-making in an era of unprecedented change.

The Vision: An Intellectual Showroom for Africa

Recognising this void, a coalition of civil society leaders, professional bodies, and industry associations came together with a bold vision: to create a pan-African centre of excellence dedicated to prospective governance—the systematic exploration of plausible futures to inform better decision-making today.

This vision materialised as the African Institute for Governance and Management (AIGM).

The Institute was conceived not as a traditional academic institution, but as an "intellectual showroom" —an agile, open platform where sectoral Chairs serve as the engines of knowledge production. Each Chair is co-financed and co-governed by sectoral partners, ensuring that research is applied, training is relevant, and solutions are concrete.

The model draws inspiration from successful pan-African institutions like the Africa Governance Institute (AGI), an AU-recognised centre of excellence that conducts cutting-edge research on governance challenges across the continent.

AIGM's mission is threefold:

Produce Knowledge
High-level academic research, Policy Papers, and foresight studies

Train Actors
Executive Education programmes, certifications, and continuous professional development
Animate Public
Debate International conferences, roundtables, and seminars

Importantly, AIGM is positioned as a pan-African institution based in Côte d'Ivoire but serving the entire continent. This deliberate choice provides protection against political risks, enhances attractiveness for international partners, and facilitates partnerships with the African Union and other continental bodies.

The Solution: A Multi-Stakeholder Governance Model

AIGM's governance structure is designed to embody the very principles it promotes: participation, independence, and meritocracy. The Institute is an initiative of three categories of actors:

Civil Society (Côte d'Ivoire Nouvelle Génération): Carrying the citizen's vision
Civil society provides the moral foundation and societal legitimacy of AIGM. As the voice of citizens and communities, this pillar ensures that the Institute remains anchored in the real needs of African society and serves the common good.
An institutional modelling expert (MORIM LTD): Providing strategic direction and executive leadership
The institutional modelling expert brings world-class expertise in designing and building academic and governance institutions. This pillar provides the strategic architecture, operational capacity, and international network necessary to bring AIGM to life.
Regulatory Authorities, Professional Orders, and Industry Leaders: Providing Technical Expertise, Professional Standards, and Practical Anchoring
The private sector and professional bodies bring practical expertise, professional standards, and real-world relevance to AIGM. This pillar ensures that the Institute's research and training are grounded in the actual needs of Africa's professions and industries.

This multi-stakeholder approach ensures that AIGM remains anchored in the real needs of Ivorian and African society while maintaining its independence from any single actor or political cycle.

The governance architecture comprises three complementary bodies: a Board of Directors, an International Scientific Committee, and an Executive Directorate.

Each sectoral Chair within AIGM operates with its own governance structure, comprising an Orientation Committee (for strategic validation), a Scientific Committee (for academic quality), and an Operational Cell (for execution).

The Partnership: How MORIM Powers AIGM

MORIM LTD's role in AIGM goes beyond conventional consulting. As the Institute's executive director, MORIM provides:

Strategic Conception: Designing the institutional model, governance framework, and economic model
Academic Engineering: Developing the sectoral Chair model and research programmes
Positioning Strategy: Establishing AIGM as a pan-African institution of reference
Network Activation: Mobilising partnerships with universities, think tanks, and international bodies

MORIM's approach is rooted in a philosophy of restoring presence, trust, and ethical authority to those who teach and lead. It is about building an education system that truly equips learners for the African reality.

CASE STUDY