The Power to Govern, the Duty to Account

CENTS Governance Academy

The Power to Govern. The Duty to Account.

Technical capacity strengthening and applied research in the governing of public money — and of the technologies now reshaping it.

Who we are

A specialist institution for public money and technology governance

CENTS Governance Academy is a specialist institution for technical capacity strengthening and applied research in the governing of public money and the governance of the technologies now reshaping it.

We work with cabinet offices and ministries, treasuries and revenue authorities, parliaments and their committees, law reform commissions and offices of parliamentary counsel, constitutional commissions, regulators, pros…

Our story

How the Academy came about

CENTS Governance Academy is the vision of Dr Lyla Latif and James Maingi. It grew out of Lai’Latif & Co Advocates, a firm that has for years combined legal practice with consultancy, advisory work and technical training for governments, ministries of finance, revenue authorities…

Practitioners in discussion

Built on practice tested across continents

Vision

Stronger public institutions across Africa

A continent where purpose-driven leaders have the mindsets, knowledge, and skills to design fairer fiscal systems and answer for public money.

Mission

Educate for policy, law, and accountability

To train through rigorous programmes, practitioner teaching, and applied clinics rooted in African experience — so institutions can govern with confidence and account with clarity.

How to engage

Three booking pathways

Whether you join a scheduled cohort or need a programme built around your institution, there is a clear path.

  1. 01

    Open cohort

    Professionals and institutions enrol into scheduled programmes in the open calendar.

  2. 02

    Institutional cohort

    An organisation reserves a programme exclusively for its team.

  3. 03

    Curated programme

    CENTS designs around a live institutional challenge, reform, law, contract or data problem.

Our principles

What guides the academy

Six commitments that shape how we teach, partner, and stay with hard public problems.

Leadership

Lead with integrity, purpose, and a long view of institutions.

Excellence

Hold a high bar for teaching, scholarship, and professional conduct.

Context

Learn from African histories, constraints, and possibilities.

Determination

Stay with hard public problems until better options exist.

Engagement

Listen to practitioners, governments, and communities.

Resourcefulness

Combine local knowledge with global methods.

Join the academy

Ready to strengthen fiscal capability in your institution?