*Photo: Mrs Didi Esther Walson-Jack*
Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Mrs Didi Esther Walson-Jack has described the Civil Service as the engine of the future that must be rebuilt with bold ideas, diverse minds, and inclusive purpose.
Speaking on Wednesday at Eagle Square, Abuja, in her welcome address at the International Civil Service Conference 2025, she said “the Civil Service is not a relic of the past. It is the engine of our future. That engine must be rebuilt, not with rusted tools and rigid thinking, but with the fuel of bold ideas, diverse minds, and inclusive purpose.”
Mrs Walson-Jack listed the objectives of the Conference as:
To Foster Global Collaboration and Connectivity; To Spotlight Transformational Practices That Deliver Results; To Catalyze Bold, Forward-Thinking Leadership;To Deepen and Accelerate Nigeria’s Reform Momentum and To Forge Enduring Partnerships for Reform Implementation.
The HCSF said participants at the conference are launching 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” she affirmed.
Read he full address below:
WELCOME ADDRESS BY THE HEAD OF THE CIVIL SERVICE OF THE FEDERATION,
MRS. DIDI ESTHER WALSON-JACK, OON, mni, AT THE INTERNATIONAL CIVIL
SERVICE CONFERENCE 2025 ON WEDNESDAY, 24TH JUNE 2025 AT EAGLE SQUARE, ABUJA.
PROTOCOL
I welcome each and every one of you to the heart of Nigeria our capital city, Abuja for the inaugural International Civil Service Conference, proudly hosted by the Government of the Federal Republic of Nigeria in collaboration with our
esteemed partners at the Global Government Forum UK.
2. 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.
Why We Are Here: The Inspiration Behind the Conference
3. 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 urbanization, digital disruption, climate shocks, global pandemics, complex citizen demands, and now, the generational call for equity, inclusion, and climate justice.
4. 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.
Understanding the Theme
• Rejuvenate:
We must rejuvenate to renew the spirit, skills, and structure of the civil service. This means attracting young talent, building leadership pipelines, empowering women and marginalized groups, and rekindling public trust through values-based service.
• Innovate:
Bureaucracy must not mean stagnation. We must rethink how policies are made, how services are delivered, and how data and technology are harnessed to serve the people better.
• Accelerate:
Time is no longer a luxury, citizens are waiting, climate is changing and resources are limited. We must move from plans to implementation from
ideas to measurable change and do so with urgency.
Nigeria’s Reform Journey: Progress and Promise
5. I would be remiss if I did not share with you the progress we have made in the Nigerian Civil Service and the commitments that lie ahead:
• We are automating our processes, transitioning to a paperless service
through the deployment of an Enterprise Content Management System
(ECMS);
• We have introduced a Performance Management System that links
individual KPIs to national goals;
• We are retooling our training institutions, particularly the Public Service
Institute of Nigeria and the Administrative Staff College of Nigeria for
digital, high-impact capability building.
These are not mere aspirations, they are deliverables.
Objectives of the Conference
To Foster Global Collaboration and Connectivity
6. This conference brings together civil service leaders, reform champions,policymakers, and development partners from Africa, Europe, Asia, and across
the globe. It provides a rare opportunity to exchange ideas, build bridges across borders, and explore shared challenges with a unified commitment to
public sector excellence.
To Spotlight Transformational Practices That Deliver Results
7. From Ghana’s citizen-centered e-governance, to Kenya’s institutional accountability frameworks, Singapore’s AI-powered service architecture,
and Morocco’s integrated digital identity and public service delivery reforms, we are showcasing models that are redefining public sector performance.
Delegates will engage with tested innovations and explore how to adapt them
to their unique national context.
To Catalyze Bold, Forward-Thinking Leadership
8. In a rapidly evolving world, the civil service must become a platform for creative, agile, and resilient governance. This conference challenges
participants to reimagine leadership where innovation is not an afterthought, but a core strategy. Sessions will explore emerging frontiers: AI, climate-
responsive administration, citizen-driven design, and agile policy delivery.
To Deepen and Accelerate Nigeria’s Reform Momentum
9. The conference serves as a critical stocktaking moment for the implementation of the Federal Civil Service Strategy and Implementation Plan
2021–2025 (FCSSIP 25). It will highlight progress made in performance, management, digitalization, leadership development, and institutional
strengthening, while mapping a path for what must follow.
To Forge Enduring Partnerships for Reform Implementation
10. This is not just a learning event; it is a catalyst for real-world action.
Through MoU signings, roundtables, and networking platforms, the conference
will foster strategic alliances including bilateral, multilateral, and regional partnerships to support reform implementation, knowledge transfer, and
resource mobilization.
A Word to the Reform Champions
11. To the young people in the civil service, to the gender equality advocates, to the data scientists and policy designers in this room, I say this to
you:
“You are not the future of public service.
You are its present.
Your creativity, your courage, and your conviction are what will define whether we succeed in rejuvenating, innovating, and accelerating the transformation we seek”.
In Closing
12. Ladies and Gentlemen, the Civil Service is not a relic of the past. It is the engine of our future. That engine must be rebuilt, not with rusted tools and rigid thinking, but with the fuel of bold ideas, diverse minds, and inclusive purpose.
13. This conference is a declaration that business as usual is no longer acceptable. It is a commitment that we will not reform alone. It is a signal
that we are ready to rejuvenate, to innovate, and to accelerate.
14. I welcome you once again to Abuja, I invite you to engage with
openness and encourage you to leave here with a mission, not just to change
your systems, but to change lives.
15. Thank you, and may God bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria .
Mrs. Didi Esther Walson-Jack, OON, mni
Head of the Civil Service of the Federation
25th June, 2025