The Federal Government has begun a three-day retreat in Abuja to harmonise the methodology for the Personnel Audit and Skills Gap Analysis (PASGA) in the Federal Civil Service.
The Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Mrs Didi Walson-Jack, said the exercise was a critical step in ongoing reforms.
She explained that the initiative would reposition the service for efficiency, professionalism, and better delivery.
President Bola Tinubu had earlier directed a comprehensive PASGA to build a more competent, responsive, and professional federal workforce.
Building a Stronger Database
Walson-Jack described the project as a foundational reform under the Federal Civil Service Strategy and Implementation Plan (FCSSIP) 2021–2025.
“This project will give us what we have long needed, a credible and verifiable personnel database that captures not just numbers, but also skills, competencies, and workforce distribution across ministries, departments, and agencies (MDAs),” she said.
She noted that the data would guide planning, training, deployment, and succession management.
“With it, we can direct capacity building where it is most needed and plan for the next generation of civil servants,” she added.
The retreat outcome is expected to shape recruitment, promotions, postings, and training in the years ahead.
Civil Service Fit for Purpose
Mr Folusho Philips, Chairman of Philips Consulting, described the civil service as a massive organisation needing proper verification.
“We want to identify the kinds of jobs we need to fill, the kind of people we need, and then address the skills and capacity gaps,” Philips said.
He explained that the PASGA would expose workforce strengths and weaknesses, ensuring civil servants were “fit for purpose” in today’s dynamic environment.
He added that the initiative could also be extended to state governments to improve service delivery nationwide.
Dr Danjuma Kalba, Permanent Secretary of the Common Services Office, said the retreat was necessary to harmonise the approaches of the 15 consulting firms involved.
“Each HR firm might adopt a different methodology if left unchecked. This retreat is essential to ensure a standardised and credible outcome,” he said.
The retreat, themed “Building a Future-Ready Workforce: Reshaping Skills Today for Tomorrow’s Nigeria,” is attended by the steering committee, implementation team, Philips Consulting, and the 15 cluster consultants.
For context, see World Bank’s governance data and Bloomberg’s coverage on African workforce reforms.
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