Ghana’s Public Sector to be more efficient - Kusi Boafo

Ghana’s public sector has over the years suffered incompetence, absenteeism, corruption and lateness coupled with unsatisfactory service delivery against the robust public sector inherited after independence.

Mr Thomas Kusi Boafo,the Chief Executive of the Public Sector Reforms said this at a day's mini sensitization launch in Takoradi, under the theme "delivering for Citizens and Private Sector".

According to him the public sector has seemingly lost out on trust in the heart and minds of many Ghanaians who have witnessed one poor service delivery, bribery to get a job done or wanton disrespect in terms of client relationship in the services sector.

He noted that despite efforts by successive governments to improve upon performance much had not been achieved and it was believed that the adoption of the National Public Sector Reforms Strategy for 2018 to 2023 would help do some magic for the public sector in ensuring efficiency.

"Primarily, efficiency and performance improvement come about when there are requisite resources in terms of labour and machinery are provided to serve as motivation and appetite in any workplace environment where the workers are willing and sometimes overly give of their best to the benefits and profit of the enterprise be it state or private".

Mr Boafo said the government has begun the process that would lead to the creation of a new public sector that was fit for purpose and would help guarantee quality service delivery.

He explained that the reforms would look at systems, structures, processes and internal management functions with a view to modernizing them to meet state priorities, create the necessary conditions for the private sector to thrive and create employment opportunities as the county prepare beyond Aid.

Mr Boafo said another major goal of the reforms was to strengthen human resource capacity and ensure a strong regulatory framework to define and shape the nature of work and service delivery to the citizenry and the private sector.

"The underlying principles for the reforms include prioritization, integration, sustainability and integrity, transparency and accountability".

The CEO said cultivating a new direction of purpose in the public sector, building capacity and processes, applying the change theory would help to improve upon service delivery and contribute to sustained national development.

He mentioned modernized and improved working conditions; capable and disciplined workforce, robust regulatory framework, citizen and private sector focused public sector, robust local governance structure and a digitized public sector devices and systems as the six pillars for the reforms.

Mrs Gifty Eugenia Kusi, the Deputy Western Regional Minster said it was welcome news because a reformed public sector would help to overcome the problems bedevilling the public sector including poor coordination, ineptitude, weak institutional and human capacity and corruption.