Gambian Officials Understudy Nigeria’s Public Service Reform Model
A high-level delegation of Gambian public officials have visited the Bureau of Public Service Reforms (BPSR) in Abuja as part of a study exchange mission to understudy Nigeria’s public sector reform strategies and explore opportunities for bilateral collaboration.
The visit, led by Pateh Jah, Permanent Secretary in The Gambia’s civil service, was aimed at fostering knowledge sharing and adopting Nigeria’s reform initiatives to enhance governance in The Gambia.
While addressing the Nigerian officials, Mr. Jah described Nigeria as a “big brother country” in Africa with a wealth of experience in public service reforms.
He said the Gambia chose Nigeria over Western countries for this learning exchange because of the contextual similarities and successful reform initiatives already implemented.
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“We’ve read reports about how Nigeria has undertaken numerous reforms. It is important for us to learn from your experiences, understand your success stories, and avoid the pitfalls,” he said.
Jah acknowledged that reform processes are often challenging and may face resistance but assured that the Gambian government is committed to implementing the lessons learned from the visit.
Welcoming the delegation, BPSR Director-General, Mr. Dasuki I. Arabi, expressed appreciation for The Gambia’s interest in Nigeria’s reform model.
He emphasized the importance of African countries learning from each other to address shared challenges and improve governance systems.
“Nigeria’s reform journey, particularly in the public service, has been driven by the need to deliver efficient services to a diverse and large population,” Arabi noted.
“The establishment of BPSR in 2004 marked a coordinated effort to monitor and evaluate reforms across federal agencies.”
He highlighted the National Strategy for Public Service Reforms (NSPSR), which was developed to ensure transparency, accountability, and integrity in service delivery.
He further underlined the historical ties between Nigeria and The Gambia, noting that the visit creates a pathway for stronger cooperation in areas like trade, energy, security, and institutional capacity building.
As part of the visit, the Gambian delegation is expected to tour selected Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) to observe reform milestones and deepen mutual relations.
