Central Delivery Coordination Unit: Learning, Growing and Redefining Performance Management at the Federal Level.

March 28, 2022 02:56:02 PM Published by: PERL

The Central Delivery Coordination Unit (CDCU), an initiative of the Federal government of Nigeria, under the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (OSGF) visited the governments of Kenya and Rwanda on a study/learning visit to exchange ideas on mechanisms for driving performance in the delivery of government priorities. The delegation, led by the Permanent Secretary, Cabinet Affairs Office, commenced the visit on the 14th of March 2022, with the first stop in Nairobi, Kenya, before proceeding to Kigali, Rwanda for the second phase of the visit.                                                                                                        

The trip was sponsored by the Federal Government of Nigeria (FGN) following the partnership that was facilitated by FCDO PERL between the CDCU and the Tony Blair Institute, as part of PERL’s support towards deepening the capabilities of the CDCU around Deliverology. Since the establishment of the CDCU in 2019, the Unit has been driving unprecedented reforms in the performance management process at the Federal level using homegrown approaches generated through lessons learned from every stage of the process. However, with the transition period in view, the President has expressed a desire to institutionalize the performance management process and as a result, directed the CDCU to engage other nations or institutions where Delivery Systems have been embedded into government architecture.

Rwanda was the first country in Africa to adopt Deliverology as a tool for driving performance in government, this was done with support from the Tony Blair Institute followed by the Republic of Kenya. Having grown and evolved over the years, the two countries have shown a track record of service delivery results with sufficient experience which others can learn from. While Kenya uses the Center of Government approach, Rwanda has moved from a centralized approach to mainstreaming the Delivery culture within its Civil/Public Service.

During the visit, the team met with the Presidential Delivery Unit of Kenya domiciled within the Presidency. Mr. James Sule, Permanent Secretary and leader of the delegation as well as Umaru Abu, Federal Facilitation Manager, FCDO-PERL were invited to join the cabinet meeting for a first-hand experience on issues resolution and the nexus with the PDU.

The team also visited the Government Action Coordination Unit in Rwanda's Prime Minister’s Office and engaged robustly with key Ministries where Delivery approaches have been embedded, including the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning, the Ministry of Public Service and Labour as well as the Ministry of Local Governments responsible for ensuring grassroots involvement in national development.

Ultimately, the goal as consistently expressed by the SGF is to have a Central Delivery Coordination Unit that will transcend administrations and grow to become a trusted vehicle for supporting and driving the delivery of government priorities for the wellbeing of the Nigerian People.