By OKON OKON

The Federal Government on Thursday began a three-day strategic retreat to harmonise the methodology for the Personnel Audit and Skills Gap Analysis (PASGA) in the Federal Civil Service.

Declaring the retreat open in Abuja, the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation (HCSF), Mrs Didi Walson-Jack, described the exercise as a critical step in the ongoing reforms of the Federal Civil Service.

She said the initiative aimed to reposition the service for greater efficiency, professionalism, and improved service delivery.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that President Bola Tinubu had earlier directed a comprehensive PASGA across the federal service to enhance professionalism and effective service delivery.

The audit Is also expected to support the development of a more agile, competent, and responsive civil workforce.

Walson-Jack described the project as a foundational reform initiative 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 emphasised that the data gathered would support evidence-based planning, targeted training, strategic deployment, and transparent succession planning.

“With it, we can direct capacity building where it is most needed and plan for the next generation of civil servants,” she added.

The HCSF urged participants to work toward a unified and workable methodology that would strengthen civil service reforms.

She noted that the outcome of the retreat would shape future decisions on recruitment, promotions, postings, training, and succession.

Also speaking, Mr Folusho Philips, Chairman of Philips Consulting, the lead firm for the project, described the civil service as a “huge organisation” that required proper personnel verification.

He said the PASGA would help identify skill gaps, competencies, and strengths to ensure workers were “fit for purpose” in today’s dynamic environment.

“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 added that If successful, the initiative could be replicated at the state level to improve public service delivery across the country.

Earlier, Dr Danjuma Kalba, Permanent Secretary, Common Services Office in the HCSF, stressed the need to harmonise the approaches of the 15 cluster consultants involved in the project.

“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 being attended by members of the steering committee and the implementation team.

Also in attendance are representatives from Philips Consulting and the 15 cluster consultants engaged for the national project. (NAN)