…as Walson-Jack showcases civil service reforms
By Stella Odueme
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Wednesday declared the International Civil Service Conference 2026 open in Abuja, stating that reforms initiated under his administration are beginning to deliver measurable results in Nigeria’s public service even as the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Didi Esther Walson-Jack, declared that Nigeria’s public service reforms have moved beyond promises to measurable results.
Speaking at the opening ceremony of the conference, President Tinubu, represented by Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator George Akume said the theme, “Reforms, Resilience and Results,” reflects the country’s transition from policy formulation to implementation and tangible impact. He noted that the Nigerian Civil Service has, over the past eleven months, demonstrated resilience in responding to global economic pressures, domestic service demands and citizens’ expectations.
The President said the Federal Civil Service remains central to the success of his administration’s Renewed Hope Agenda, describing public servants as the “engine room of national transformation.” He added that the service is becoming faster, smarter, more accountable and responsive to the needs of Nigerians.
Tinubu highlighted progress in the government’s digitalisation drive, disclosing that 38 ministries and extra-ministerial departments are now operating on a secure, paperless and end-to-end electronic workflow system.
According to him, the initiative is aimed at transforming the bureaucracy from a bottleneck into a bridge for efficiency, investment, innovation and inclusive growth.
He also revealed that the Personnel Audit and Skills Gap Analysis approved during the 2025 conference is nearing completion, noting that the exercise is helping government identify capacity gaps, strengthen competencies and ensure that the right personnel are deployed to appropriate roles in line with modern governance requirements.
The President referenced his recent remarks at the Africa CEO Forum in Rwanda, where he spoke on Project BRIDGE — Building Resilient Digital Infrastructure for Growth.
He said the initiative is designed to accelerate Nigeria’s digital transformation by attracting investors into the country’s digital infrastructure ecosystem.
Tinubu directed all ministries and extra-ministerial departments to sustain and deepen digitalised work processes, while mandating agencies to adopt digital systems across their operations and service delivery platforms.
He said the era of manual inefficiency must give way to a culture of speed, transparency and citizen-centred governance.
The President commended the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Didi Esther Walson-Jack, for her leadership in implementing the Federal Civil Service Strategy and Implementation Plan 2021–2025.
He specifically praised the integration of innovative tools such as Service-Wise GPT, describing it as evidence of what visionary leadership and institutional commitment can achieve.
He also applauded ministries, extra-ministerial departments and agencies for their collective efforts in driving governance reforms, saying Nigeria is emerging as a benchmark for public service transformation across Africa and beyond.
Addressing international delegates, Tinubu thanked development partners from across Africa and other parts of the world for supporting Nigeria’s reform agenda through technical collaboration and shared expertise.
The President urged participants at the conference to use the event as a platform for practical solutions, stressing the need to make reforms irreversible, strengthen accountability, improve technology-driven service delivery and build institutions capable of outlasting political cycles.
He said the world is watching Nigeria and that citizens expect visible outcomes from ongoing reforms, adding that government remains committed to building an efficient, ethical, professional and innovative Civil Service that supports national development.
In her welcome address, Walson-Jack. said the 2026 edition of the conference marked a significant milestone in Nigeria’s ongoing civil service transformation agenda, noting that the country had made substantial progress since the inaugural conference held eleven months ago.
She said the conference, themed “Reforms, Resilience and Results,” reflects the urgency for governments to modernise institutions, withstand global disruptions, and deliver tangible outcomes for citizens.
According to her, participation at the conference expanded significantly from six countries in 2025 to sixteen nations in 2026, including the United States, United Kingdom, Switzerland, Singapore, Indonesia, Colombia, Ghana, The Gambia and other participating countries, with over 5,000 delegates attending physically and thousands joining virtually.
The Head of Service highlighted key achievements recorded since the 2025 conference, revealing that all 38 Federal Ministries and Extra-Ministerial Departments had fully digitalised their work processes ahead of the December 31, 2025 deadline. Lol
She also disclosed that the government’s AI-powered platform, Service Wise GPT, designed to help civil servants navigate service rules and institutional knowledge, had logged more than 50,000 user interactions.
Walson-Jack said the adoption of digital tools demonstrated that technology gains traction when it directly addresses institutional challenges and improves service delivery.
She stressed that Nigeria was also advancing discussions on the responsible use of artificial intelligence in governance, maintaining that AI should complement human judgment rather than replace it, particularly in the delivery of services to vulnerable populations.
The Head of Service credited the progress to the leadership of Bola Ahmed Tinubu, stating that his administration had set a strong tone for performance, accountability and results across the federal civil service.
She explained that the conference was structured around eight thematic stages — Aspire, Innovate, Activate, Accelerate, Accomplish, Rejuvenate, Transform and Impact — to reflect the progression from reform vision to implementation and sustainable outcomes.
According to her, three major roundtables at the conference will focus on the future of work in the public sector, partnerships and collaboration, as well as financing reforms amid fiscal constraints.
The conference, hosted in Abuja, brings together public service leaders, reform experts and development partners from around the world to discuss the future of governance and public administration.
