Nigerian President Bola Tinubu to host 5000 African Heads of Civil Service

By Iyojo Ameh

Nigerian President Bola Tinubu is set to host about 5,000 African Heads of Civil Service as part of activities to commemorate this year’s African Public Service Day.

Addressing newsmen in Abuja, the Head of Civil Service, Mrs. Didi Walson-Jack, said the event, which will include a study tour for other Heads of Service will provide a veritable platform for the exchange of ideas aimed at building a more robust and transformed civil service.

The conference, which was adopted at the 1994 Pan-African Conference of Ministers in Tangier, Morocco, is celebrated across the continent on the 23rd of June to honour public service values, promote professional excellence, and showcase public sector innovation.

Mrs. Didi Walson-Jack said the celebration also aims to stimulate workable policy dialogue by incorporating the African Public Service Day into Nigeria’s Civil Service Week and taking the celebration to new heights.

According to Walson-Jack ” I extend a warm and open invitation to all civil servants, development partners, private sector actors, academia, and the media to participate actively in this momentous celebration.

,”Let us use this opportunity to learn, collaborate, recognise excellence, and re-commit to the ideals of public service that place the citizen at the centre. ”

She explained that the conference will drive transformation in line with the theme “Rejuvenate, Innovate, and Accelerate” through effective peer review mechanisms to meet global best practices.

The Head of the Civil Service of the Federation explained that hosting the conference reflects Nigeria’s optimism regarding the implementation of the Federal Civil Service Strategy and Implementation Plan (FCSSIP25), with its core pillars of Capability Building, Performance Management, and Digitalisation.

She explained further “The Study Tour for the State’s Heads of Service will provide a valuable platform to exchange reform ideas and share innovative strategies, thereby deepening federal-state collaboration in advancing the quality and integrity of public administration.”

Mrs. Walson-Jack further reaffirmed Nigeria’s leadership commitment to shaping Africa’s accountable, innovative, and citizen-responsive public service ecosystem.