LAGOS TRAINS PUBLIC SERVANTS ON SMART CITY OBJECTIVES

Lagos State Government has commenced training for the first batch of Public Servants on the Growth Mindset Development Programme to instil the culture of creativity and innovation towards achieving its smart city objectives.

Speaking at the training programme organised by the Office of Transformation, Creativity and Innovation (OTCI) to officially flag-off the train-the-trainer programme, a subset of the Growth Mindset Development Programme for Public Servants, the Head of Service, Mrs. Folasade Adesoye said the training programme, held at Public Service Staff Development Programme (PSSDC) Magodo, is in line with the State Government’s vision of a Smart City, especially as it relates to intensifying a re-orientation strategy to achieve government’s smart city vision.

According to her, the State Government has recently conducted a Tourism Summit, Security summit, Safety summit and released a strategic Master Plan for the transportation sector all geared towards making Lagos Smart City compliant.

She added that the need for Public Servants to understand how to improve their mindsets, as well as influence those around them cannot be over-emphasized, hence, the training programme embarked upon by the State Government to ensure that the Growth Mindset yields the desired result.

“We as Public Servants have to rise to the challenge and think outside the box by encouraging creative and innovative initiatives required to transform our society into a Smart City”, she added.

While wishing the participants fruitful deliberations, the HOS urged them to imbibe the positive ideas/outcomes that would emanate in the course of the training and propagate the growth mindset in their various Agencies.

Also speaking, the Director General, Office of Transformation, Creativity and Innovation (OTCI), Mr. Toba Otusanya said the initial intention was to run a Public Service Innovation Competition that would allow Public Servants move from a Fixed to a Growth Mindset; however the scope was expanded to capture its smart city objective by accommodating the academia in suggesting creative and innovative ideas that would move the State forward.

He explained that Lagos State Government in its resolve to change the mindset of Public servants decided to select some Public Servants across MDAs to undergo the reorientation training from a fixed to a growth mindset and cascade the information to others in their respective MDAs.

Otusanya explained further that in order to drive home the message of the Growth Mindset in the Lagos State Public Service, a sensitization Programme was Organised for Permanent Secretaries and Directors to encourage improved interaction with their subordinates.