Association & Chamber Excellence Institutional Partner – Nigeria

The Center for International Private Enterprise (CIPE) invites qualified academic institutions and professional training organizations in Nigeria to apply as the ACE Institutional Partner – Nigeria, a flagship leadership and certification initiative for chambers of commerce and business membership organizations (BMOs). The selected partner will lead the institutionalization, management, accreditation, and expansion of the program while overseeing participant recruitment, faculty coordination, alumni engagement, and long-term sustainability planning. CIPE seeks an institution with demonstrated expertise in executive education, professional certification, and leadership development, as well as strong connections to the private sector and business association ecosystem. Through this partnership, CIPE aims to establish ACE as a premier professional certification platform that strengthens chamber leadership, promotes regional collaboration, and enhances the capacity and impact of business membership organizations across Africa.

The Center for International Private Enterprise (CIPE) is a global organization that works to strengthen democracy and build competitive markets in many of the world’s most challenging environments. Working alongside local partners and tomorrow’s leaders, CIPE leads global programs that advance economic freedoms, expand opportunity, and strengthen economic and democratic resilience. Visit us at cipe.org, LinkedIn, Facebook, or X.

The Association and Chamber Excellence (ACE) Program is a professional development and certificate program established by CIPE in collaboration with the Nigerian Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (NACCIMA) to strengthen the capacity of chamber of commerce and business membership organization (BMO) leaders. The program addresses key institutional challenges such as weak governance, limited leadership development, and inadequate funding models by providing practical training in governance, financial sustainability, policy advocacy, and member service delivery. By equipping chamber and association leaders with essential leadership and management skills, ACE aims to enhance institutional effectiveness, strengthen the credibility of BMOs, and support private sector growth and regional trade integration. ACE is currently being delivered through an academic institution in Nigeria, and efforts are ongoing to expand the program across Nigeria and the African region. CIPE is seeking a delivery partner that can institutionalize, manage, and scale the program while positioning ACE as a recognized certification platform for chamber and association executives and professionals.

As an ACE Institutional Partner- Nigeria, the expected objective is to expand and diversify stakeholder engagement while strengthening chambers and business associations through capacity building, leadership development, and strategic partnerships. The partnership will foster a dynamic Community of Practice that promotes peer learning, collaboration, advocacy, and knowledge sharing across institutions. Through effective documentation of success stories, lessons learned, and best practices, as well as strong monitoring, evaluation, and reporting systems, the program will drive continuous improvement and informed decision-making. Ultimately, the expected outcomes include improved organizational performance and service delivery, a larger pool of skilled and certified chamber executives, stronger institutional resilience and resource management, enhanced stakeholder partnerships, and a sustainable certification ecosystem supported by alumni networks, continuous professional development, and regional learning platforms.

The selected academic institution and ACE Institutional Partner- Nigeria will take on a set of responsibilities to ensure the ownership, delivery, management, growth, and institutionalization of the ACE Program, including but not limited to:

• Program Delivery and Management: Manage and deliver the ACE Program as an institutionalized professional program, including operational planning, growth planning, and long-term sustainability of the program.
• Certification Strategy: Develop and implement a roadmap for transitioning ACE from a certificate program into a recognized professional certification program, including a process plan for certification renewal, refresher courses, and continuing professional development opportunities.
• Value Transfer: Ensure the successful transfer of practical management skills from participants back to their respective chambers or organizations, including providing practical tools, institutional action plans, and knowledge-transfer mechanisms.
• Alumni Support and Ecosystem Development: Design, develop, and manage a robust ACE Alumni Network that promotes mentorship, networking, peer learning, advocacy, knowledge-sharing, continuous professional development, and alumni engagement.
• Regional Collaboration and Peer Learning: Develop a collaborative and coordination framework with delivery partners, chambers, associations, and stakeholders across Nigeria and the African region. This should include plans for national, cross-border peer learning and participation in regional business and policy discussions.
• Business Development and Strategic Partnerships: Develop a strategy for engaging international institutions, development organizations, and partners to strengthen the visibility, credibility, and sustainability of the ACE Program.
• Incentivizing Participation: Implement strategic outreach and recruitment campaigns to encourage chambers and business membership organizations (BMOs) to enroll their executive, managerial, and relevant staff in the ACE Program.
• Inclusion Strategy: Implement an inclusion strategy that promotes participation among women-led organizations, youth-led organizations, underserved regions, persons with disabilities, and other underrepresented groups.
• Sustainability Model: Establish a viable model encompassing pricing strategies, cohort sizes, delivery formats, partnership opportunities, and long-term financial planning to ensure the program’s sustainability beyond donor funding.
• Marketing and Promotion: Design and implement a comprehensive promotion strategy, including branding, messaging, participant recruitment, and regional visibility initiatives.
• Faculty Recruitment and Management: In coordination with the current ACE delivery partner in Nigeria, conduct a train-the-trainer workshop for members of faculty newly recruited to join the delivery of the ACE program and manage this qualified faculty pool.
• Evaluation and Certification: Establish clear standards for participant evaluation and issue formal certificates upon successful completion of all program requirements.
• Impact Tracking and Reporting: Develop and implement a robust Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning (MEL) framework that includes baseline assessments, endline assessments, periodic impact tracking, alumni tracking, and organizational performance measurement. The framework should provide evidence of institutional improvements and business outcomes attributable to the program and include regular reporting to CIPE.

The selected institution will be responsible for putting in place the necessary systems and arrangements to support program delivery; monitoring and evaluation; documentation of success stories, impact stories, and case studies; the ACE program accreditation and certification process; participant management; faculty engagement; and alumni engagement in accordance with the agreed deliverables.

Prospective ACE Institutional Partner—Nigeria must meet the following minimum qualifications:

• Full accreditation by relevant national or international educational regulatory bodies with an established academic reputation in business, management, public policy, leadership, or executive education.
• A minimum of 10 years of institutional experience in designing and delivering executive education programs, particularly for membership organizations, business associations, or chambers of commerce.
• At least 5 years of experience administering dedicated capacity-building, leadership development, certification, or policy advocacy programs.
• Strong active relationships and existing connections with the private sector, industry hubs, chambers, and business associations.
• A proven track record of at least two successful collaborations with international development organizations, donor agencies, or NGOs.
• Demonstrated experience managing accredited professional certification or executive education programs.
• A robust pool of qualified faculty members with at least 10 years of individual expertise in chamber management, strategic planning, business development, advocacy, governance, and leadership development.
• Access to appropriate infrastructure to support hybrid (online and in-person) delivery.
• Established capacity to administer, and award formally recognized professional certification programs.
• Demonstrated experience managing alumni networks, continuing professional development programs, or professional membership communities.