By Abubakar Yunusa
President Bola Tinubu and the Aig-Imoukhuede Foundation on Wednesday pushed for accelerated digital transformation across Nigeria’s civil service, with the President directing Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) to deepen digitalised work processes as part of efforts to end manual and opaque governance systems.
Tinubu, represented by Secretary to the Government of the Federation, George Akume, gave the directive while declaring open the 2026 International Civil Service Conference (ICSC) at Eagle Square, Abuja.
The conference, organised by the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation and themed “Reforms, Resilience, and Results,” attracted more than 5,000 participants, including delegates from 16 countries across Africa, Europe, Asia and North America.
The Aig-Imoukhuede Foundation, which returned as Diamond Partner for the conference, said its participation was aimed at strengthening collaboration, innovation and institutional capacity within the civil service.
Founded by Aigboje Aig-Imoukhuede and Ofovwe Aig-Imoukhuede, the foundation is a public sector-focused philanthropic organisation that supports governance reform initiatives across Africa through financing, strategic advisory services and capacity-building programmes aimed at improving public service delivery.
The foundation said its engagement at the conference builds on existing collaborations with the Federal Civil Service through initiatives such as the AIG Public Leaders Programme, the AIG Scholarships and Fellowship Programme, and support for the Federal Civil Service Strategy and Implementation Plan 2021–2025.
Speaking during the event, Chairman of the foundation, Aigboje Aig-Imoukhuede, said meaningful public sector reforms would require stronger collaboration between government and the private sector.
Delivering a keynote address titled “Public-Private Collaboration for Service Delivery and Innovation,” he said reform efforts should be measured by the efficiency of services delivered to citizens.
“The true measure of whether government is working or not is whether a passport is issued on time, roads are completed on schedule, hospitals function, pensions are paid without distress, and businesses can be registered without bureaucracy,” he said.
Aig-Imoukhuede added that countries that record the greatest progress are those where governments and businesses work together.
“The most successful nations are those where government and business work together, not against each other, as no government can do it alone,” he stated.
As part of its activities at the conference, the foundation organised an alumni-led roundtable session titled “Navigating Public Sector Reform,” bringing together alumni of the AIG Public Leaders Programme, heads of MDAs and private sector stakeholders to discuss strategies for implementing sustainable reforms.
Executive Vice Chair of the foundation, Ofovwe Aig-Imoukhuede, said the partnership with the civil service underscored the organisation’s long-term commitment to institutional strengthening.
“The Civil Service remains central to national development. Our continued partnership reflects our commitment to supporting public sector leaders with the tools, networks, and capabilities required to drive results,” she said.
