Chike-Obi, Ikpe Launch ‘Policy Without Politics’ Podcast on Governance, Africa’s Economic Future
A new thought-leadership podcast, Policy Without Politics (PWP), has been launched to deepen public understanding of policies shaping economies, businesses, markets and the everyday lives of citizens across Africa.
Hosted by financial services expert, Mustafa Chike-Obi, and development economist and business leader, Dr Ken Ikpe, the weekly podcast seeks to promote rigorous and non-partisan conversations on governance, public policy, development and the business environment.
The platform, available on YouTube, is positioned as a forum for clear and informed discussions devoid of partisan political considerations, with a focus on examining how government decisions and public policies affect companies, markets, citizens and communities.
According to the promoters, the podcast will explore issues relating to trade, fiscal and monetary policies, regulation, investment and development, while placing global economic conversations within an African context.
Speaking on the vision behind the initiative, Ikpe said policy decisions had far-reaching consequences for individuals, businesses and national economies, stressing the need to make complex policy issues easier for the public to understand.
“Policy touches every life, every business and every economy. Our goal is to make these conversations accessible, practical and useful, so that more people can understand how policy decisions translate into real outcomes,” he said.
In its debut episode, titled “Policy vs Implementation: Why Nigeria’s Good Ideas Keep Failing,” the hosts examined one of Nigeria’s longstanding development challenges – whether the country’s difficulties stem from poor policy design, weak implementation or deeper failures of accountability and political will.
The discussion covered major economic and social issues, including fuel subsidy removal, electricity pricing, health insurance, education, International Monetary Fund advice, telecommunications, exchange rates and social safety nets.
During the episode, Chike-Obi questioned the sustainability of welfare spending in an economy with limited productive capacity, arguing that increased production should precede extensive social welfare commitments.
“Charity is good, but you can only give charity when you have it. When you have limited resources, you must produce first, then be charitable later. Charity first never leads to production,” he said.
The podcast has also produced other episodes addressing contemporary economic, governance and development issues.
In an episode titled “The Importance of an Economic Adviser in National Government,” Chike-Obi and Ikpe discussed the role of a strong and independent economic adviser in national planning, policy coordination and the pursuit of long-term economic growth.
Another episode, “Why Do African Teams Concede in the 86th Minute?”, uses football as a point of departure to examine sports policy, discipline and execution, as well as the economic potential of sports as a viable business sector.
The introductory episode, “Introducing PWP: Why Good Policy Fails to Change Lives,” focuses on the persistent gap between well-intentioned public policies and the realities experienced by citizens.
The hosts said the podcast would draw on their decades of professional and leadership experience to interrogate policies and examine practical solutions to Africa’s development challenges.
Chike-Obi has more than four decades of experience in investment banking and financial services. He served as the inaugural Chief Executive Officer of the Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria (AMCON) and has held senior positions in global financial institutions, including Goldman Sachs, Bear Stearns and Guggenheim Partners.
He is a First Class graduate of Mathematics from the University of Lagos and holds a Master of Business Administration degree from Stanford University.
Ikpe, on the other hand, has more than 30 years of experience in business leadership, advisory services, brand management and advertising.
He is a former Group Chief Executive Officer of Insight Redefini Group, a marketing communications and consumer consulting group in Sub-Saharan Africa, and holds a PhD in Development Economics from the Academy of Sciences, School of African Studies, Moscow.
Ikpe is also associated with the School of Media and Communication at Pan-Atlantic University and is a Fellow of the Nigerian Institute of Marketing and the advertising profession in Nigeria.
Chike-Obi said the podcast was not designed to promote partisan politics but to critically examine policies, identify why some initiatives succeed or fail and explore measures required to achieve sustainable development.
“We are not interested in politics for its own sake. We are interested in what works, why it works, why good ideas fail, and what must change if policy is to deliver real progress,” he said.
The promoters said Policy Without Politics would provide policymakers, business leaders, entrepreneurs, professionals, students and citizens with a platform to better understand the ideas and decisions influencing national and continental development.
They invited members of the public to watch and share the podcast episodes and subscribe to the Policy Without Politics YouTube channel for weekly discussions on policy, business, governance and Africa’s economic future.
