The Head of the Civil Service of the Federation (HCSF), Mrs Didi Esther Walson-Jack, has said that the Federal Civil Service is moving faster, thinking bigger, working smarter and delivering better for national development.
She said this on Wednesday at the International Civil Service Conference (ICSC) 2026 in Abuja with the theme, “Reforms, Resilience and Results”, organised by her office and other partners.
She noted that successes have been recorded since the 2025 edition of the conference in Abuja.
“Eleven months ago, we stood on this ground and made a bold commitment: to rejuvenate, innovate, and accelerate the transformation of Nigeria’s Civil Service. Today, we return, not to repeat ourselves, but to demonstrate. We have brought progress. We have brought proof. And we have brought renewed determination to go further.”
While noting that six countries
participated in the 2025 edition, she said 16 nations are presently attending the 2026 edition.
Listing the countries to include the United States, the United Kingdom, Switzerland, Singapore, Indonesia, Colombia, Ghana, The Gambia, Zambia, Algeria, Zimbabwe, Sudan, Iran, Ethiopia, DR Congo and Nigeria, she said over 5,000 participants are physical at the Eagle Square, Abuja, and thousands connecting through online platforms.
“We gather this year under the theme “Reforms, Resilience and Results”, three words chosen with purpose. Reform, because no institution survives by doing tomorrow exactly what it did yesterday.
“Resilience, because the world does not pause its disruptions while
we reorganise. And Results, because citizens everywhere are done waiting for potential. They want delivery,” Walson-Jack said.
She said that the successes achieved so far in Nigeria could not have been possible without the visionary leadership, strong support and unwavering commitment of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
On the 2026 conference, she said “Now, the architecture of this Conference. ICSC 2026 is structured across eight stages-Aspire, Innovate, Activate, Accelerate, Accomplish, Rejuvenate, Transform, and
Impact as a deliberate progression.
“They reflect the journey that genuine reform takes: from vision, through implementation, to making gains last and delivering lasting results.”
The three Roundtable, she said, will tackle the future of work in the public sector, partnerships and collaboration, and financing reform under fiscal pressure.
These, according to her, are not
designed for comfortable consensus, but to generate the useful friction
that produces insight.
She said “The Deal Room is our most consequential innovation this year. Stakeholders will not merely discuss partnerships; they will formalise them, with Legal Officers on hand to support the signing of Memoranda of Understanding.
“We want this Conference to end
with signatures, not just speeches, so your active engagement is essential to turn discussions into tangible commitments.”
She equally noted that at the last Conference, digitalisation was the declaration.
“Today, it is our reality. All 38 Federal Ministries and Extra-Ministerial Departments digitalised their work processes ahead of the 31st of December 2025 deadline.
“Our Service Wise GPT platform, an AI tool that helps Civil Servants navigate service rules and institutional knowledge, has recorded over 50,000 conversations. These are not vanity metrics.
“They are evidence that technology, when it solves real problems, gets adopted. These achievements should fill us with pride and motivate us to continue advancing.” Walson-Jack said.
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