Federal Govt Urges Civil Servants To Embrace Innovation

Federal government has called on civil servants to rise to their expected responsibilities of providing effective leadership, policy frameworks, and direction that will speed up positive change, by adopting the culture of innovation.

The head of the Civil Service of the Federation (HoCSF), Dr. Folasade Yemi-Esan,  made this call at a sensitization Webinar session organised for participants in the 2022 federal civil service innovation competition and other federal civil servants.

Yemi-Esan, while reiterating the increasing popularity and importance of innovation in the world presently, urged civil servants to view innovation as a catalyst for positive change, which helps in the improvement of governance and scaling up of service quality. 

According to her, the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation (OHCSF) has set up structures that will effectively support and sustain innovation in the system, among which is, tracking annual Innovation challenge competitions.

“This is instituted to encourage civil servants to think out of the box and cultivate ideas that will ensure quality service, efficiency, and productivity in the public sector.

“The thematic areas for the 2022 Innovation Challenge include the provision of solutions to security challenges faced by Civil Servants, to create an enabling environment for excellent delivery on their jobs,” she said.

She also said that the focus is on how to bring innovative solutions to bear on present-day governance, through cost-cutting and increased revenue-generating ideas.

“Furthermore, the competition is expected to proffer solutions that will advance government business through Public-Private Partnerships (PPP), as well as the adoption of new technologies.

“The novel modality adopted in the ongoing competition is very apt, as it has exposed the participants to knowledge and skills on using innovative tools such as Zoom, Slack, and Google sites, amongst others, which is helping in the effective and efficient discharge of their various duties,” she said.

Earlier, the permanent secretary, Special Duties Office (SDO)-OHCSF, Engr. Faruk Yusuf Yabo disclosed that rapid changes in the economic and technological landscape within the field of Public Administration have compelled bureaucracies around the globe to tidy up their organisational aspects, significantly.

Yabo said that many developing countries have realised the need for innovation to drive customer-focused, cost-effective, and updated methods for improved performance within the Service.

He stated that the importance of Innovation in enhancing Public Service delivery necessitated the OHCSF, in line with the 2021-2025 Federal Civil Service Strategy and Implementation Plan (FCSSIP-25), to adopt Innovation as one of the six priority initiatives required to take the Nigerian Public Sector to greater heights.