In line with Governor Godwin Obaseki’s institutional reforms, the Edo state government, through the John Odigie Oyegun Public Service Academy (JOOPSA) has trained 2,500 Public and Civil Servants out of 10,000 EDSG staff in the state as promised during his electioneering campaign.
The training was held at the John Odigie Oyegun Public Service Academy (JOOPSA) complex, in Benin City.
The Director-General of JOOPSA, Imuwahen Ajoonu said that the training is to democratise learning and develop the workforce of the future in this age of artificial intelligence in Edo State. Ajoonu said: “Since training started in March, JOOPSA has focused on foundational courses, such as the fundamentals of project management, introduction to public policy development, commercial acumen, professional etiquette, customer service, data analysis and interpretation, strategic communications, negotiation, and conflict management.
“This is to ensure that civil and public servants possess both technical and soft skills needed to thrive in the world of work. Centralising and running training programs in Benin City, allowed for over 70 percent cost savings for the government. Travel costs have significantly reduced, allowing for better monitoring and evaluation of all training interventions”
“JOOPSA works with the best global subject matter experts to achieve its aim. The changing global economy, technology, politics and increased expectations for government performance demand new attention to the complex set of public skills and capacity,” she said.
She further said JOOPSA is positioned to bridge the human capability gaps in the Civil and Public service through training and unlearning to ensure that the Edo State workforce continuously possesses the required service delivery capabilities required to achieve the State Government aspirations as contained in the six (6) Thematic Pillars of the Make Edo Great Again (MEGA) Agenda of Governor Obaseki’s administration.
She also called on members of the public and corporate organisations to leverage the academy to add value to their workforce, adding, “The academy since inception has been a major driver of Governor Godwin Obaseki’s transformation efforts being witnessed in Edo State civil and public service in better service delivery in the state.
The trainees commend the state government for its work in establishing the world-class training academy, JOOPSA. The academy was pioneered by Imuwahen Ajoonu who is the Director-General. They have given leadership reawakening to the public service delivery in the public service ecosystem.
