Reflections on My Journey as a CEoG Presidential Fellow (Nigeria)

Less than a week after beginning my journey as a Chief Economist of Government (CEoG) Presidential Fellow, I found myself standing on the factory floor of one of Nigeria's largest indigenous manufacturing companies in Kano. I was part of the delegation accompanying the Special Adviser to the President on Finance and the Economy on a visit to the Mamuda Group of Companies. As we toured the production lines, conversations moved seamlessly from exchange-rate reforms and energy costs to access to finance, logistics and industrial competitiveness. Standing among the company’s workers, I realized that the macroeconomic policies we debate in meeting rooms ultimately find their meaning on factory floors like this. That visit became my first lesson as a Presidential Fellow.

Before joining CEoG, my career had been shaped by a commitment to using rigorous economic analysis to improve public decision-making. Through research, policy advisory, and think tank leadership, I have worked with governments and the private sector to analyze reforms and generate evidence for better policy. Earlier in my career, I served with the Presidential Economic Advisory Council (2020–2022), where I supported the preparation of technical reports and briefing notes presented to the Presidency on global and domestic economic developments. Those experiences taught me how to analyze public policy and communicate economic evidence at the highest levels of government. The CEoG Presidential Fellowship, however, took me a step further: from advising government to working within it, where I experienced firsthand how evidence is debated, refined and translated into action.

Placed within the Office of the Special Adviser to the President on Finance and the Economy at Nigeria's Federal Ministry of Finance, I found myself at the intersection of economics, politics and implementation. Every day presented a different challenge. One moment I was analyzing fiscal trends; the next, I was preparing executive briefing materials or supporting discussions with development partners and private-sector leaders. I quickly discovered that being an economist in government requires much more than technical expertise. It demands judgement, adaptability and the ability to communicate evidence in ways that enable better decisions.

As the fellowship progressed, my responsibilities expanded considerably. One of my principal assignments involved supporting the implementation of Nigeria's tax reforms through the National Tax Policy Implementation Committee Secretariat while also serving the Office's executive policy support function. I prepared dozens of executive briefs, speeches, policy memoranda, presentations and engagement reports for the Special Adviser and senior government principals. Each assignment reinforced a simple but profound lesson: economics only creates value when it can be translated into decisions that leaders can confidently act upon.

What surprised me most was that the most consequential work often happened far away from cameras and headlines. Before every policy announcement or reform milestone came hours of consultation, drafting, debate and coordination. I came to appreciate that effective public policy is quietly built in briefing rooms and technical meetings, where evidence is refined into action.

Looking back, the fellowship's greatest gift was not simply the breadth of work I undertook, but the perspective it gave me. I became part of the machinery that transforms evidence into executive decisions. I witnessed how policies evolve through consultation, how difficult trade-offs are navigated and how implementation is often more challenging than policy design itself.

The CEoG Presidential Fellowship is far more than a professional placement. It is an investment in Africa's future policy leadership, bridging the gap between evidence and execution by embedding economists where decisions are made. It develops professionals who understand that good policy is not only technically sound but also politically informed, institutionally grounded and practically deliverable.

I am deeply grateful to the CEoG Network, the Government of Nigeria and the Office of the Special Adviser to the President on Finance and the Economy for the trust, mentorship and opportunity to contribute during such an important period of Nigeria's reform journey. I am especially grateful to the Special Adviser to the President on Finance and the Economy, whose leadership and commitment to evidence-based policymaking created an environment where I could learn, contribute and grow.

Oluwanbepelumi Olanubi

(CEoG Presidential Fellow)