Abuja, 2 May 2018: The African Capacity Building Foundation has increased its imprint in Nigeria by providing a computer based test centre to enhance the capacity of the country’s civil servants. The centre was opened on 30 April at the Public Service Institute of Nigeria (PSIN), in the capital Abuja.
The main objectives of the project were; to expand knowledge and skills of PSIN staff and to improve organizational functions which would increase effectiveness in the delivery of training. At the opening, ACBF’s Executive Secretary Prof. Emmanuel Nnadozie said the facility was evidence of the Foundation’s strong commitment to its fruitful partnership with Nigeria. It will also position the beneficiary, the Pubic Service Institute of Nigeria, as a leader in conducting computer-based recruitment and promotion examinations in the country.
It will expand the knowledge and skills of staff and improve key organizational functions such as strategic planning, monitoring and evaluation, and communication that will ultimately make the Institute a leader in the training of civil servants in Nigeria.
He acknowledged the support of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation whose funding made this grant possible. The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is funding, through ACBF an important initiative to strengthen the capacity of African non-profit organizations so that they can more effectively and efficiently fulfill their mandates.
The grant enabled the purchase of computer equipment and software. The CBT Centre is a growing revenue source for PSIN as demand for computer-based testing from both the federal and state governments is expected to rise in coming years.
PSIN is one of the Manpower Development Institutes in Nigeria. It is placed under the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation (HOCSF). PSIN’s mandate is to provide customized training to civil servants to ensure that they have the necessary skills and knowledge to deliver the government’s mandate.
The Head of Nigeria’s civil service, Winifred Oyo-Ita expressed the government’s appreciation to ACBF for its interest in the institute and said the partnership between ACBF and the Nigerian civil service was timely.
“Building the capacity of the Public Service Institute of Nigeria will go a long way to help in the actualization of the strategic plan of the Office of the Head of Civil Service of the Federation being one of the capacity building arms,” said Oyo-Ita.
“I am hopeful that the partnership will continue to a level that PSIN will become one of the foremost capacity building institutes for public servants in Africa,” Oyo-Ita said.
The ACBF grant made it possible for; 35 staff members to receive training in priority areas, policy and procedure manuals to be developed and revised. The grant also afforded PSIN an opportunity to host 3 strategic planning workshop and to train and coach 23 members of staff in strategic planning processes.
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For more information, please contact:
Tsitsi Chakonza
The African Capacity Building Foundation
Harare, Zimbabwe
+263-4 304663, 304622, 332002, 332014; Ext. 273
Email: T.Chakonza@acbf-pact.org
ABOUT the African Capacity Building Foundation (ACBF)
Having spearheaded and robustly coordinated capacity development programs worth over 700 million US dollars across 45 countries and 8 regional economic communities (RECs) in Africa since 1991, ACBF has gathered the requisite experience that makes it the go-to institution for expert knowledge and human resources to advise and support African countries, regional economic communities and institutions on decisive steps to take to develop the practical skills urgently required for the continent’s economic transformation.
Evidence from our cutting-edge work (constituting hundreds of knowledge publications) and the work of several partners show that Africa's development efforts are being hobbled by severe capacity deficits often in the form of shortage of critical skills, deficits in leadership, inhibiting mindsets and weak institutions. The continent’s practical skills shortage is acute in key areas such as Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) and Agriculture.
At ACBF, we will continue using our unmatched track record in managing financial facilities for development, our vast knowledge gathering experience thanks to the exceptional skills mix of our core staff as well as our strong strategic partnerships and networks to help countries and institutions identify their capacity needs, advise them on how to plug these capacity weaknesses and on where to find the knowledge and resources to develop the requisite capacity resources, effectively use them and retain them to achieve their short and long-term development objectives.
ACBF’s vision is an Africa capable of achieving its own development.
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