Gambia Moves to Adopt Nigeria’s Civil Service Reform Model

The Gambian government says it is moving to adopt aspects of Nigeria’s civil service reform model as it seeks to strengthen capacity building and public sector management in the country.

The Secretary to the Cabinet and Head of the Civil Service of The Gambia, Alieu Njie, stated this on Monday during a study visit by a high level Gambian delegation to the Public Service Institute of Nigeria (PSIN) in Abuja.

“We are working towards learning what Nigeria has done and what Nigeria is doing so that we also replicate that in my country. This is why we are here in this country,” he said.

Njie described Nigeria as The Gambia’s “big brother” and said the country had continued to support The Gambia in critical sectors.

“There are so many things you can learn from Nigeria. In terms of defence, health and technical aid, we all get it from Nigeria. So obviously, this is very fundamental to us,” he said.

He said the delegation had already gained valuable insights from the engagements.

“Since I started here, I have been really learning and I have taken note of a lot of things. Even if I go home today, what I have learnt cannot fit into my suitcase,” he said.

Earlier, the Administrator and Chief Executive Officer of PSIN, Dr Imeh Okon, said the visit would provide an opportunity for both countries to learn from each other’s experiences and identify areas of cooperation.

“We do not view this study tour as a one way presentation, but rather as a robust bilateral dialogue. We are eager to learn from your unique experiences in governance and institutional development in The Gambia, just as we share our own,” she said.

Okon noted that the institute had administered about 3,500 technology driven promotion examinations across ministries, departments and agencies and expanded its training programmes to address emerging skills gaps in the public service.

Also speaking, a consultant to the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Dr Francisca Odeka, said the federal government had introduced the “One’s Knowledge” framework to institutionalise learning and link training to performance management in the civil service.

“If reforms are to succeed, there has to be a level of consequence management. If you were supposed to go for a training and you didn’t go, these accrued points have to account for whether you are going to be promoted or not,” she said.

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