Civil Service Gets New Framework for Training and Talent Management
The Head of the Civil Service of the Federation (HCSF), Mrs. Didi Esther Walson-Jack, has inaugurated the ONCE-Knowledge System Steering Committee, a landmark initiative aimed at harmonising capacity building, knowledge management, and talent development across the Federal Civil Service.
The launch is part of the government’s broader vision to create a world-class, future-ready civil service.
Speaking at the inauguration in Abuja, Mrs. Walson-Jack described the initiative as “a bold new approach that ensures every civil servant, from the newest recruit to the most senior executive, is prepared, empowered, and supported throughout their career journey.”
She explained that the system will address the long-standing fragmentation in training and development by providing a single, coordinated framework that guides civil servants from entry to exit, anchored on the Federal Civil Service Strategy and Implementation Plan 2021–2025 (FCSSIP 25), specifically Pillar One: Capacity Building and Talent Management.
The ONCE-Knowledge System is built on five interconnected pillars. It begins with comprehensive onboarding programs for newly recruited and newly promoted officers to align them with the values and priorities of the civil service.
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This is followed by structured capability development initiatives, including the Structured Mandatory Assessment-Based Programme (SMAT-P), the Leadership Enhancement and Development Programme (LEAD-P), cadre-specific trainings, and digital literacy programs covering emerging technologies.
To strengthen leadership at the highest levels, the framework also provides executive masterclasses for ministers, permanent secretaries, and chief executives of federal agencies.
As officers transition out of service, structured exit management protocols preserve institutional memory and support retirees through entrepreneurship and agripreneurship initiatives.
A dedicated knowledge management strategy will also institutionalise learning, foster communities of practice, and safeguard the collective wisdom of the civil service for future generations.
In her welcome address, Mrs. Fatima Mahmood, Permanent Secretary of the Career Management Office and chair of the 14-member steering committee, emphasised the importance of the initiative, noting that it “brings coherence to all capacity-building efforts and ensures we deliver tangible results in this declared Year of Accomplishments.”
The committee includes senior officials from key government offices, heads of federal training institutions, representatives of development partners, and private sector experts in capacity building and knowledge management
