For civil society organisations, business associations, public agencies and development partners across Africa, influence over policy is now a core leadership responsibility rather than a task delegated to a communications officer. Fiscal pressure, shrinking civic space in some countries, shifting donor priorities and crowded policy agendas mean that leaders must choose their issues carefully, build alliances that last beyond a single campaign and be accountable to their boards for what advocacy investment achieves.

The Executive Advocacy, Policy Influence & Partnerships Training Course is built around the decisions that sit with senior leaders. It opens with political economy analysis and the setting of an organisational influence agenda, then examines how policy is actually made in cabinets, legislatures, regulators and regional economic communities. Later sessions address executive-level relationship building, coalition and partnership leadership, the governance of joint positions, reputational and political risk, and the measures a board should use to judge whether influence work is paying off.

Delivery is designed for experienced leaders. Short framing inputs are followed by facilitated executive discussion, a simulated ministerial meeting, a partnership negotiation and peer review of each participant's own influence agenda. By the final day every participant has a draft influence strategy, a partnership portfolio review and a board-ready dashboard to take back to their organisation.

On completing the programme, senior participants will be able to:

• Set an organisational influence agenda that links policy goals to strategy, mandate and available resources.
• Analyse the political economy of a policy issue, including power holders, incentives and windows of opportunity.
• Engage ministers, parliamentarians, regulators and development partners with credible, evidence-based positions.
• Lead coalitions and strategic partnerships with clear governance, shared positions and exit arrangements.
• Assess the reputational and political risks of taking public positions on contested issues.
• Direct the allocation of people and budget across competing advocacy priorities.
• Define board-level measures for judging influence outcomes and the organisation's contribution to them.
• Model ethical influence practice, transparency and integrity in lobbying relationships.

The programme is intended for leaders who carry final responsibility for an organisation's external influence, such as:

• Executive directors and chief executives of NGOs and foundations
• Country and regional directors of international NGOs
• Chief executives and policy directors of business associations and chambers of commerce
• Heads of policy, government relations and external affairs
• Board chairs and trustees overseeing advocacy strategy
• Senior public servants leading inter-agency and donor partnerships
• Directors of think tanks and policy research institutes
• Senior officials of development partner and UN agencies
• Corporate affairs directors in regulated industries

Each executive returns to their organisation with:

• A draft three-year influence strategy setting out priority issues, target decision makers and intended policy shifts.
• A political economy map for one live policy issue, showing allies, opponents and swing actors.
• A partnership portfolio review identifying which alliances to deepen, restructure or exit.
• A one-page ministerial briefing template and a tested set of key messages.
• A reputational risk register for public positions and coalition commitments.
• A board dashboard of influence indicators covering outcomes, contribution and resource use.
• Personal feedback on their executive presence in high-stakes policy conversations.

Sessions are run as an executive seminar rather than a classroom course, drawing on:

• Concise framing inputs from facilitators with senior policy and partnership experience
• Facilitated roundtables where leaders test ideas against peers from other sectors
• A simulated ministerial meeting with structured feedback on presence and messaging
• A multi-party negotiation exercise on a shared coalition position
• Case analysis of African policy reforms and of partnerships that succeeded or broke down
• Confidential peer review of each participant's draft influence strategy

A CPD-accredited Certificate of Completion issued by Vision Reach Global Consultancy is awarded to each executive who attends the full programme and contributes to the simulations, negotiation exercise and peer review sessions.

The draft influence strategy and partnership review prepared during the week remain with the participant as working documents for their board.