By John Ewah and Violet Obamwonyi
Some have wondered or questioned the rationale behind the Edo State Government’s investment in the training and retraining of public servants in the State.
Since the advent of the Governor Godwin Obaseki administration, human capacity development has been at the core of the administration’s objectives in improving service delivery across the various strata of civil and public service administration in the State.
It was not enough for Governor Obaseki to place human capacity development at the vanguard of public service reforms in the State, but also took necessary steps in ensuring that public servants in State have unlimited access to trainings through the establishment of an institute which today is positioning itself to become the foremost training institute in Africa.
It is Governor Obaseki’s conviction that a viable workforce is integral to the growth and development of a State; a resolve that culminated in the establishment of the John Odigie Oyegun Public Service Academy (JOOPSA), a standby academy that caters for the training needs of public servants.
While some might have been consternated by the Governor’s insistence and investment in human capital development within the public service, it needs no rocket science to appreciate the fact that a state is as good as its workforce, since the civil service remains the engine of government.
Research has shown that the standard of service delivery in any organization is directly proportional to the level of competence and expertise of its workers. This is why the State Government is investing so much to improve the competence of workers through training and re-training. The State Government in collaboration with seasoned professionals has organized a series of trainings to improve institutional knowledge and expertise and also build capacity of its workforce.
JOOPSA has been equipped with modern state-of-the-art facilities with a rich mix of experts and professionals. The Academy has played host to a series of training sessions for the State Government, such as; training of Heads of MDAs and Permanent Secretaries on Performance Management System; training on effective audit and reporting system for local government account officers; training of Permanent Secretaries and public servants on e-governance; offline training for selected beneficiaries of the Edo Skill-Up app; training of EdoSTAR recruits, recruitment examinations and interviews for applicants into the civil and public service, onboarding of new recruits, training of communication officers, amongst others.
The Academy also hosted the recent leadership summit organized by Edo State Government to appraise half-year performance of MDAs. These trainings and summits have transformed the public service in the State by tackling diverse inadequacies in public servants in terms of skills and capacity, and have also equipped public servants with digital skills to drive the e-governance system on which the State currently runs. This has enabled optimum service delivery in the State’s public service.
Ms. Precious Imuwahen Ajoonu, Managing Director, JOOPSA, revealed in a recent interview that the Academy has commenced full operation and is set to fully achieve Government’s mandate to make Edo State the premier learning and capacity building center in Africa. According to Ajoonu, “The State Government is doing so much in making the academy the foremost up-skilling academy across the country and the continent, and various strategies are being adopted to achieve this”.
Ajoonu also noted that having an indigenous public service academy in the State has helped cut cost of governance and availed public servants opportunities in soft skills, leadership, technical, business and digital training, amongst others.
Ajoonu said: “The Public Service Academy is a cost-effective project, as it brings to your doorstep the training and seminars you would otherwise travel far to get. It is also a template that will ensure public servants have the right skill-set to drive change in the post-pandemic world”.
Edo State is currently reaping the benefits of these trainings which have led to efficient, timely and improved service delivery, and a more collaborative, resourceful and motivated workforce.
