PASGR Mourns a Towering Enigma of Our Programmes

We received the news of Prof. Haruna’s sudden passing with profound shock and sorrow.

He spoke with humility and a dependable tone of humor. When tensions rose during our many public policy research forums, he was a source of calm before the storm. Prof. Haruna Bonaventure was a great friend of PASGR and an anchor of our collaborative Master of Research and Public Policy (MRPP) programme, now offered at 13 universities in Africa, as well as the Pedagogical Leadership in Africa (PedaL), which has expanded to over 100 universities across the continent.

Prof. Haruna began his engagement with PASGR in 2013, contributing to the design and implementation of the MRPP, which led to his appointment to the steering committee as the Programme Coordinator representing the University of Jos in Nigeria. In his remarks at the launch of the MRPP programme, Prof. Haruna’s clarion call that “…many African governments grapple with the problems of effective and efficient policy formulation and implementation” has resonated throughout the last decade of our work. This contributed to the development of an innovative model of knowledge co-creation among researchers and policy actors, referred to in Kiswahili as Utafiti Sera for Research & Policy. He emphasized that this need arose “because many existing policies that direct policy decisions were made largely for political expediency, rather than being evidence-based with little or no reference to research.”

Although he was a relatively younger professor compared to many of his colleagues, Prof. Haruna stood out for his acumen and wisdom. At 61, the world has lost a visionary scholar with admirable diligence and a powerful voice which will be greatly missed.

We are saddened by his unexpected and sudden passing, yet we choose to celebrate rather than mourn a champion of public policy, a political scientist par excellence, and a humble servant of the downtrodden, as demonstrated in his eCase on Nigeria – The World Poverty Capital: A Paradox. This e-Case, along with many others he authored for MRPP & PedaL, are used to teach MRPP courses in the 13 collaborating universities, and by PedaL fraternity across the continent. We will miss his insights, humility, and humor. He set the bar high, and his shoes will undoubtedly be too large to fill. Rest well, Prof. Haruna.