# Proximity to Power: Governance, Exposure and Integrity at the Top

> For leaders of African businesses that deal closely with the state. Learn to map your points of contact, prepare for banks, control intermediaries, handle…

- Provider: BrandsClass Executive Academy (a Brands Nexus Network Limited company)
- Format: online lessons, then a live virtual boardroom simulation with AI board members, scored against a published rubric
- Duration: about 240 minutes (9 lessons)
- Access: 365 days from the day you start
- Price: ₦315,000 (NGN)
- Certificate: a certificate that anyone can verify online. It is not a regulated or accredited qualification.
- Level: Boardroom
- Who it is for: Chief executives, chairs, audit committee chairs, finance chiefs and general counsel of African groups that deal with the state as customer, licensor, regulator or shareholder.
- Page: https://brandsclass.com/courses/proximity-to-power-governance-exposure-and-integrity-at-the-top/
- Last updated: 2026-10-14

## What you will learn

- Explain legal, banking, reputational and personal exposure, and adopt a clear board statement of what you will not do
- Build a register of every contact with state bodies and apply proportionate controls where officials hold discretion
- Prepare a bank-ready file on ownership, politically exposed persons and source of wealth before it is requested
- Vet, contract, pay and monitor intermediaries so that improper use is hard
- Set practical rules on gifts, donations and community contributions, and give staff scripts for saying no
- Respond to an improper demand, escalate it and decide whether to continue, pause or walk away
- Run the first 24 hours of an allegation, and design board oversight that would stand up if tested

## Lessons

1. Why proximity is a governance problem
2. Mapping your points of contact with power
3. Politically exposed people, due diligence and the bank’s view
4. Intermediaries, agents and the risk you rent
5. Gifts, hospitality, donations and community demands
6. The call you cannot refuse: handling demands and pressure
7. When it surfaces: whistleblowers, journalists and investigators
8. Directors’ oversight and personal exposure
9. Rebuilding trust, and the decision to walk away

## How to enrol

Open https://brandsclass.com/courses/proximity-to-power-governance-exposure-and-integrity-at-the-top/ to create a free account and buy a seat.