Mrs. Didi Esther Walson-Jack

Mrs. Didi Esther Walson-Jack is Nigeria’s Head of the Civil Service of the Federation who has redefined public sector leadership through bold reforms, institutional revitalization, and a sweeping digital transformation that has changed the trajectory of the country’s civil service. Anchored on the Federal Civil Service Strategy and Implementation Plan 2021–2025 (FCSSIP-25), she has repositioned the Federal Civil Service into a more efficient, accountable, and citizen-centred institution guided by EPIC values - Efficient, Productive, Incorruptible, and Citizen-Centred.

Notable among her many historic achievements is the full digitization of core government processes. Under her leadership, paper-based bureaucracy gave way to secure, automated, and centralized digital workflows across Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs). She launched GOVMail, providing over 34,000 civil servants with official government email accounts, and deployed Enterprise Content Management systems that eliminated lost files, reduced processing time, enhanced transparency, and save costs. At the Global Government Summit 2025 in Singapore, she unveiled Service-Wise GPT, an AI-powered tool revolutionizing policy drafting, research, and decision-making within the Civil Service. These reforms have significantly accelerated service delivery, strengthened institutional memory, restored public trust in governance, and impacted the professional capacity of Nigerian Civil Service.

Beyond digitalization, Mrs. Walson-Jack institutionalized performance accountability through dedicated “War Rooms” and a weekly Performance Management System Day, ensuring reform momentum across priority pillars. She advanced inclusivity and non-discrimination by enforcing the 5% recruitment quota for Persons with Disabilities and championed diversity reforms across MDAs. On the continental stage, she initiated the first Pan-African celebration of African Public Service Day, positioning Nigeria as a reform leader in African Civil Service.

Through visionary digital innovation, institutional strengthening, inclusivity reforms, and measurable improvements in public service delivery, Mrs. Walson-Jack has demonstrated exemplary leadership worthy of AfriHeritage’s African Public Service Award.