Leadership Training Drives Excellence in Civil Service – Walson-Jack

Emmanuel Kwada, Abuja

The Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Didi Walson-Jack, has highlighted leadership training as a crucial driver of excellence in public service, urging civil servants to apply their acquired skills for national development.

Speaking at the closing ceremony of the 2024 Aig-Imoukhuede Foundation Public Leaders Programme in Abuja on Thursday, Walson-Jack commended the initiative for equipping public sector leaders with essential knowledge and fostering a culture of innovation.

“This programme represents a significant milestone in our collective effort to strengthen the public sector and build a core of competent, ethical, and forward-thinking leaders who will drive transformative change in their respective organizations and communities,” she said.

She praised the AIG-Imoukhuede Foundation for its dedication to improving governance across Africa, noting that several alumni of the programme were already contributing to key reforms in the Federal Civil Service.

“Beyond the training received here, I’m particularly pleased to note that some of the alumni of this very prestigious programme are already working with me in my office, contributing actively to various reform initiatives,” she added.

Walson-Jack encouraged participants to be champions of good governance and use their expertise to improve public service delivery.

“With this training comes a greater expectation. Your institutions need your expertise, your innovation, and your commitment to excellence,” she emphasized.

Former Vice President Prof. Yemi Osinbajo stressed the importance of an efficient civil service in national development, noting that a weak bureaucracy hinders progress.

“There is no real possibility of progress for a nation or government if its civil service, which is the real infrastructure for delivering public goods, is weak or inefficient,” Osinbajo stated.

He highlighted the necessity of equipping public servants with the capacity to innovate, plan, and implement policies effectively, emphasizing that innovation is central to governance.

“The civil service holds the key to every nation’s success, not because civil servants are inherently special, but because by the very design of modern society, government is the legal and accepted vehicle that exists to make life better for the people,” he noted.

The Executive Vice Chairman of the Aig-Imoukhuede Foundation, Ofovwe Aig-Imoukhuede, reaffirmed the foundation’s commitment to empowering public sector leaders.

“The AIG Public Leaders Programme has become more than just a contribution to the development of Nigeria and Africa’s public service. It has emerged as a game-changing initiative for building capacity within the civil service, both locally and across the continent,” she said.

She added that through a partnership with the Blavatnik School of Government at the University of Oxford, the programme had produced four cohorts of exceptional leaders prepared to tackle governance challenges.

The Chairman of the Aig-Imoukhuede Foundation, Aigboje Aig-Imoukhuede, emphasized the importance of sustained investment in leadership training as a key driver of effective governance.

He commended the participants’ dedication and urged them to translate their learning into measurable improvements in public service.