Walson-Jack harps on innovation, creativity at maiden international civil service conference

She lamented that civil services across the world, particularly in Africa, are at a crossroads, stating that the systems inherited were forged in a different era and cannot respond to today’s complex challenges without the necessary reforms.

Walson-Jack spoke on Wednesday in Abuja during the opening ceremony of the maiden International Civil Service Conference, held as part of the programmes marking the 2025 Civil Service Week. The event is hosted by the Federal Government of Nigeria in collaboration with the Global Government Forum, United Kingdom.

Over 5,000 delegates comprising civil service leaders, reform champions, policymakers, and development partners from Africa, Europe, Asia, and across the globe are participating in the conference.

The Head of Service added that the conference provides a rare opportunity to exchange ideas, build bridges across borders, and explore shared challenges with a unified commitment to public sector excellence.

She said: “Today we are launching a movement, a movement of renewal, creativity, and bold progress in public service. We are gathered as reformers, thinkers, practitioners, and doers bound together by a common belief that the civil service remains one of the greatest instruments of national development and global stability.

“This conference was born from a shared recognition that, across the world, and particularly in Africa, the civil service is at a crossroads.

“The systems we inherited were forged in a different era and yet, we are compelled to respond to 21st-century challenges: rapid urbanisation, digital disruption, climate shocks, global pandemics, complex citizen demands, and now, the generational call for equity, inclusion, and climate justice.

“To address this moment, we must rejuvenate, innovate and accelerate! These three words are not just the theme of this conference. They are its agenda,” she stated.

Walson-Jack also highlighted Nigeria’s reform journey, outlining key initiatives under the Federal Civil Service Strategy and Implementation Plan 2021–2025 (FCSSIP 25).

She listed some of the key reforms to include the automation of workflows through the Enterprise Content Management System, the rollout of a Performance Management System that aligns individual performance indicators with national goals, and the upgrading of civil service training institutions to drive digital capability.

The conference also spotlights international best practices from countries such as Ghana, Kenya, Morocco, and Singapore, offering insight into models that enhance e-governance, institutional accountability, and inclusive service delivery.

Mrs Walson-Jack reiterated that the civil service is not a relic of the past, but the engine of national transformation, adding that the engine must be rebuilt with bold ideas, diverse minds, and inclusive purpose.

She also addressed the role of young professionals and reform champions in the system, telling them that they are not the future of public service, but its present.

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