Gambian officials visit FCSC, seek lessons from Nigeria’s Public Service reforms

Senior Gambian government officials have visited the Federal Civil Service Commission (FCSC) in Abuja to understudy Nigeria’s public service reform experience and explore strategies that could be adapted to strengthen the Gambian Public Service.

The delegation, led by the Deputy Chief of Staff, Office of the President of The Gambia, Mr. Momodou Donna, was received on Wednesday by the Chairman of the FCSC, Prof. Tunji Olaopa.

Speaking during the visit, Olaopa stressed the importance of clear institutional mandates, defined responsibilities and effective coordination among key actors in achieving sustainable public service reforms.

He said Nigeria’s reform experience demonstrated that institutional arrangements could work effectively where the roles, authority and responsibilities of different actors were clearly defined.

According to him, having a minister responsible for the Public Service alongside the Head of the Civil Service and a reform office was not necessarily problematic, provided their mandates were clearly established and understood.

He explained that the Head of the Civil Service should exercise full authority over matters concerning the core civil service, while other institutions could perform complementary functions within clearly defined boundaries.

Olaopa said Nigeria’s public service reform strategy was built around broad areas including economic and policy reforms, civil service and administrative reforms, financial and monetary reforms, as well as governance and institutional reforms.

He noted that the approach recognised the interconnected nature of the public sector and the need for reforms to be coordinated rather than implemented in isolation.

The FCSC Chairman further emphasised that successful reforms required more than the creation of new institutions and structures, stressing the need to align existing laws, regulations and institutional frameworks with reform objectives.

Earlier, Mr. Sheriff Jallow, who spoke on the Gambian Public Service, outlined the country’s institutional arrangements and the evolution of its personnel management system.

Jallow explained that before the establishment of a Ministry of Public Service, personnel management was handled by a Personnel Management Office, which operated as a sub-budget entity under the Office of the President and was headed by a Permanent Secretary.

He said The Gambia was currently considering reforms to its public service structures, regulations and institutional responsibilities, making Nigeria’s experience valuable to the country’s ongoing reform efforts.

The study visit was therefore aimed at enabling the Gambian delegation to gain practical insights into Nigeria’s public service reform journey and identify approaches that could be adapted to improve institutional coordination, leadership, personnel management and administrative efficiency in The Gambia.

The session according to a press release signed by Head of Press and Public Relations of the Commission, Ibraheem Zakariyya, was attended by FCSC Commissioners, Hon. Dr. Ibrahim Jalo Daudu and Hon. Dr. Chamberlain Nwele, as well as senior officials of the Commission.