NIEPA Ag. DG, Shofoyeke, Inaugurated into IEPA Ghana Governing Council to Deepen Nigeria’s Regional Influence

Reported by Bodunde Tenabe

ONDO/CAPE COAST — In a major diplomatic breakthrough that underscores the international impact of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, the Acting Director-General of the National Institute for Educational Planning and Administration (NIEPA-Nigeria), Dr. David Shofoyeke, was yesterday, Tuesday, February 17, 2026, inaugurated as a member of the Governing Council of the Institute for Educational Planning and Administration (IEPA), Ghana.

The high-level investiture, which was conducted via a strategic digital link connecting the University of Cape Coast (UCC) in Ghana to the NIEPA Headquarters in Ondo, marks the rapid operationalization of the bilateral pact signed between the two West African institutions in January.

Taking his Oath of Office and Oath of Secrecy, Dr. Shofoyeke swore to uphold the statutes of the University of Cape Coast, effectively securing Nigeria a decision-making seat on the board of one of West Africa’s leading UNESCO Category II Centres of Excellence. Speaking shortly after his inauguration, Dr. Shofoyeke dedicated the diplomatic milestone to the vision of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR. He emphasized that the appointment is a testament to the President’s mandate for Nigerian institutions to move beyond local dominance and reassert themselves as continental leaders.

The Acting Director-General noted that the inauguration was not about him, but a validation of the Renewed Hope Agenda which challenges the Institute to export Nigeria’s technical expertise to the world. He stated that by sitting on the Council, NIEPA is actualizing Mr. President’s vision of restoring Nigeria’s status as the ‘Big Brother’ of Africa, not just in diplomacy, but in intellectual capital and education planning.

The choice of a digital inauguration was lauded as a demonstration of the Acting Director-General’s commitment to prudence and the reduction of the cost of governance—another key pillar of the current administration. By leveraging technology to consummate such a high-profile diplomatic appointment, NIEPA has signaled its readiness to lead the region in Digital Quality Assurance, proving that physical distance is no barrier to Nigeria’s expanding sphere of influence.

This development serves as the latest in a series of aggressive repositioning strides by the Institute’s management, following the December 2025 engagement with IIEP-UNESCO in Paris and the February 2026 mandate from NATCOM-UNESCO. With this inauguration, Dr. Shofoyeke has effectively secured a transnational platform to advocate for the President’s education roadmap, ensuring that regional policies in West Africa are aligned with Nigeria’s national interests.