… to train, upskill 25,000 civil/public servants in 2024
In line with the Governor Godwin Obaseki-led administration’s plan to train and upskill Edo State’s Civil/Public Servants in other to upgrade the quality of service rendered to its public, a briefing session held at the instance of the Head of Service, Dr. Anthony Okungbowa Esq, to bring to speed all Permanent Secretaries, Heads of Extra-Ministerial Departments and Agencies, on the training plans as well as the 2024 calendar Year of John Odigie-Oyegun Public Service Academy (JOOPSA).
The Head of Service, Dr. Anthony Okungbowa Esq, underscored that the dedication of the state government’s commitment to training and upskilling the technical and digital know-how of its workforce cannot be over-emphasized. He described the briefing session as apt and timely for an effective training calendar year.
Dr Okungbowa commended the efforts, dexterity, and drive of JOOPSA’s management and team for making the year 2023 a success, and applauded the Permanent Secretaries, Heads of Extra-Ministerial Departments, and Agencies for their collaborative efforts in helping JOOPSA achieve the feat of training 7,050 Civil and Public servants in the year 2023, and sued for their continued support going forward.
In addition, the Head of Service emphasized that the institutionalization of JOOPSA in June 2023 and its launch in August 2023 have relieved a great deal of stress and discomfort among civil and public servants who no longer have to travel long distances for a two-day training since the establishment of JOOPSA. He added that the cost and risk involved in training are now in the past as JOOPSA has partnered and institutionalized links with global organizations. This interaction with both international and local training organizations has created a wide array of courses at JOOPSA and has saved the State Government a huge cost of training its workforce.
Delivering her brief, the Director-General, John Odigie-Oyegun Public Service Academy (JOOPSA), Ms. Imuwahen Ajoonu, revealed that through JOOPSA’s best practices such as training assessment, feedback integration, collaboration, network enhancement, and many more; JOOPSA has been positioned as the training destination of choice for public servants in Southern Nigeria as a result of its established partnership with organizations, educational institutions and industry experts like Nexford University, the Project Management Institute of Nigeria (PMI), and Development Alternatives Incorporated (DAI) to enhance the quality and reach of training programs, and exploring opportunities to secure grants and funding from external sources to supplement the existing budget for training programs. ”JOOPSA made significant progress in the year 2023, trained 7,050 Civil and Public servants by exploring alternatives, such as technology for cost-effective training, and seeking external partnerships for additional support’’, she added.
The Permanent Secretary, Corporate Change and Communications, Office of the Head of Service, Dr. Joy Akhigbe, reiterated that the engagement was highly imperative to the success of JOOPSA in fulfilling the plans of His Excellency to train 25,000 civil and public servants before he leaves office (2023/2024). She applauded the contributions and suggestions shared by the participants towards a more fruitful and goal-oriented year for JOOPSA and most importantly, His Excellency, Godwin Obaseki.
