Public Service asked to make performance a brand

Dr Callistus Mahama, Head of the Local Government Service Secretariat (LGSS), on Thursday tasked public service officials to make performance the brand of their duties.

He said the service expectation from public officers are high and therefore charged them not to accept the status quo, but to challenge themselves in bringing in innovative policies to transform their departments.

Dr Mahama made the remarks at an orientation programme to integrate 45 officers from six Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs) from Greater Accra and Ashanti Regions of the Department of Transportation into the Local Government Service in Accra.

The officers are trained under the Ghana Urban Transport Project, which started in 2007 and was sponsored by Africa Development Bank.

He said the officers are to formulate transportation policies and also provide technical assistance and advice to the Assemblies to manage the transportation systems within their locations.

Dr Mahama said the menace of accidents involving public sector vehicles is alarming, hence the move by LGSS to develop a comprehensive policy to guide the policies that officers would be formulating.

He said the officers are moving into a culture of system, which does not accept any excuse for failure.

Dr Mahama said the system is also easy to monitor and measure the performance of officers.

He said the public service system is bureaucratic and the officers should not expect the fastest way of doing things, adding: “The slow pace of doing things in the public service is to ensure checks and balances.”

“You are now going into serious work; this is no more the project or the training, so let your expectations be low,” he added.

Dr Mahama said the LGSS is currently reviewing the Legislative Instrument 1961 which would make provisions for the review of the transport departments in the various assemblies.

Mrs Mabel Amoaku-Atta, a Director at the LGSS, said the officers are to take responsibilities of strategic planning and the management of the transport systems and to develop accurate transport database to enable effective integration of urban and transport development at the assemblies.

She said the project is to ensure effective and efficient transport service delivery and improve the general mobility of people and goods within MMDA’s.

Mrs Amoaku-Atta said the officers would develop the capacity and technical expertise for transport planning, regulation, safety and network development at the MMDA’s.

Mr Samson Gyemena, Greater Accra Passenger Executive Director said the project has addressed Government challenges of public transport system.