2019 AFRICA PUBLIC SERVICE DAY CELEBRATIONS

The first African Ministers for Public Service Conference which held in June 1994 in Tangiers, Morocco, established June 23rd of every year as the Africa Public Service Day. Since inception, the Africa Public Service Day has been celebrated six times at the Continental level biennially in Namibia (2007), Tanzania (2009 & 2011), Ghana (2013), Congo (2015) and Rwanda (2017).

The 2019 Continental Africa Public Service Day with the theme “The Intersection of Youth Empowerment and Migration: Entrenching a Culture of Good Governance, ICT and Innovation for Inclusive Service Delivery” held from 21st – 23rd June, 2019 in Nairobi, Kenya. It is a continental event where representatives of Civil Servants from all the African countries congregated to showcase what their countries are doing in order to improve quality service delivery through innovation, accountability and transparency.

Nigeria’s delegation was led by the Permanent Secretary, Service Policies and Strategies Office, Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Dr. Magdalene N. Ajani. She represented the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation. Also in attendance at the Conference was the Nigerian High Commissioner to Kenya.

The Celebration showcased symposium and exhibition while discussions at the Conference centered on:

• The Role of Technology in Harnessing Africa’s Youth Dividend: A new approach for empowering the youth and tapping their potential;
• The Obligation of Inclusivity, Integration and Efficiency: the Challenge of Building an Ethical, Professional and Result Oriented Public Service;
• The Interface between Political and Administrative Poles in Public Service Management;
• The Role of Public Service and Administration in building the requisite Institutional Capacity to better manage and facilitate integration of Migrants; and
• The 4th Industrial Revolution: Prospects, Challenges and Opportunities for Public Service and Administration.

The Nigerian Civil Service received the Best award in Exhibition and Pavilion at the Africa Public Service Day 2019 in Nairobi, Kenya. The award is in recognition of the reforms being carried out by the present administration in institutionalizing innovation in Service, and service delivery through EPIC culture in line with the Federal Civil Service Strategy and Implementation Plan (FCSSIP) 2017-2020.

The Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Mrs. Winifred Ekanem Oyo-Ita showed the trophy to journalists during a press briefing on Tuesday, 25th June, 2019 in Abuja. Mrs. Oyo-Ita said that the award is premised on the ripple effects of the eight (8) priority areas of the Federal Civil Service Strategy and Implementation Plan in the area of effective service delivery to Nigerians. She said:

“The Best award in Exhibition and Pavilion is not just about its decorative and aesthetic features, but the substance of what we are showcasing to the African continent. The reform is in the area of service delivery, capacity development and accountability through the Human Resource module of the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS) reforms in the application of technology to Civil Service processes and procedures”.

The Head of Service expressed her profound gratitude to President Muhammadu Buhari and his entire cabinet for the unflinching support given to the realization of the FCSSIP. She also thanked the Federal Civil Servants who have brought their expertise and efforts to bear in the development and the implementation process of the Plan