The aim of this study was to evaluate leadership competencies amongst public health professionals in Nigeria. A cross-sectional survey was carried out between October and December 2019 at the International Center for Advocacy on Right to Health (ICARH, Abuja, Nigeria). The study involved health professionals who are required to provide leadership in their programmes for effective outcomes. We used a validated and robust leadership competency questionnaire, developed by the European Union (EU) Leadership in European Public Health for Improved Evidence (LEPHIE) (Smith et al., 2015).

The survey had a 60% response rate: 63.9% of respondents were male and 36.1% were female, with a mean respondent age of 33.7 years. There was a statistically significant difference (p < .001) between respondents’ reported current competence level and the level they deemed necessary for optimal performance in their job. The respondents rated their current level of competence significantly lower than their required level of competence. Respondents had the highest level of competence in the following domains: ‘ethics and professionalism’ and ‘collaborative leadership: building and leading interdisciplinary teams’. They also perceived that these competencies were the most important for their job positions, as they were evaluated highly on the required level of competencies.

Nigerian public health professionals surveyed identified that exemplary leadership in health care greatly depends on ethical professional conduct and interdisciplinary collaboration. Findings from this study show that the respondents rated their existing competencies significantly lower than the leadership competencies required for optimal performance in their roles.