The Head of the Civil Service of the Federation (HOCSF), Dr Folasade Yemi-Esan, has called on civil servants to embrace digital transformation innovation to compete with their counterparts in the world.

Yemi-Esan made the call on Thursday, in Abuja at the Award Ceremony of the 2022 Civil Service Innovation Competition, organised by her office in collaboration with the Galaxy Backbone Limited.

The event is meant to award the outstanding civil servants across public service sector.

The initiative is part of the ongoing reforms in Nigeria’s public service through adoption of new technological knowledge to improve civil servants’ skills as well as reducing cost of governance in the country.

Speaking further, HOS explained that the future jobs as recorded by the world economy forum, which demand data analysts and scientists, software and application developers and social media specialists, information designers were sustained by the use of technology.

“The future jobs as recorded by the world economy forum says that the range of established roles in the global labour market which experienced rising demand include data analysts and scientists, software.

“And, application of developers and social media specialists, information designers among others are significantly based on the use of enhanced technology.

“This suggests that professionals who have the knowledge of technology and social sciences would be in high demand.”

She, therefore, used the occasion to appeal to civil servants to join in the quest for the transformation of global services in technology for improvement of the nation’s public service sector.

Earlier, Mr Faruk Yabo, Permanent Secretary-Special Duties Office, office of HOCSF, said the idea behind the initiative was centred on three thematic areas of securing a conducive working environment for civil servants.

Others he said included to identify new methods of promoting Public Private Partnership in service and also, to focus on the cost serving measures using modern technologies in public service delivery.

According to Yabo, recent time global events such as devastation caused by climate change, COVID-19 pandemic among other economic challenges has made it more urgent for government and particularly, the civil service to think outside the box and imbibe the culture of innovation.

He said the impact of today’s rapidly changing economic and technological landscape had made government’s task of delivering public service more complex.

“This is evident around the world, and Nigeria has not been spared from this challenge.”

Also, Prof. Muhammad Abubakar, Managing Director Galaxy Backbone Limited, expressed delight over successes recorded by Nigeria in recent times owning to the use of innovation both in private and Public sectors.

Abubakar commended the efforts by the HOS to transform the public service through application of technology, saying it has significantly improved the performance of service across board.

He said Galaxy Backbone was excited to be part of the success journey, adding that innovation has always being the aspiration of the company.

The highlight of the event was the award of the three set of civil servants with the first group with the prize of three million naira, the second category went home with one million, seven hundred and fifty naira, while the third category was awarded with one million naira.

Others were awarded with the consolation prizes of two hundred thousand naira each.

Mr Iluromi Olusegun, a staff of Ministry of Education and one of the beneficiaries, thanked the HOS and the organisers for the gesture, saying it will encourage civil servants more to venture into innovation in the course of their services to the nation.

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