FSP Accountability of Ghana’s Central and Local Government

Accra, 19thFebruary 2015 - A workshop to review the implementation of performance contracts process was organised on Thursday, 19th of February, between 8:30am and 5pm, at GIMPA Executive Hostel, Accra. Participants were drawn from fifteen (15) Subvented Agencies listed to participate in the performance contracting programme, being implemented by the Public Sector Reform Secretariat, with funding support from the French Government, represented by the French Embassy in Ghana.

The opening ceremony was graced by the Honorable Alhassan AZONG (MP), Minister of state for Public Sector Reform Secretariat (PSRS), and His Excellency Frédéric CLAVIER, Ambassador of France to Ghana.

In his remarks, H.E. Clavier traced the history of support to Public Sector Reforms from 2007 and recalled that an initial amount of 1.5 million Euros were released to support the PSRS between 2007-2013. H.E assured that French support was given against the backdrop of an increasing strengthening of France-Ghana relations. Seventy (70) participants from the 15 Subvented Agencies attended. They included public servants, Heads of Central Management Agencies (National Development Planning Commission, Public Services Commission, Office of the Head of Civil Service, Attorney General Department, Fair Wages and Salaries Commission, etc).

The objective of this event was to present an assessment report of the two pilot contracts, signed with two (2) Agencies in the Health and Education Sectors. Two pilot performance contracts were signed in 2012 between the Ministry of Health and KomfoAnokye Teaching Hospital and another, between the Ministry of Education and Accra Polytechnic. The workshop was also to prepare the grounds for contracts to be signed with fifteen (15) additional institutions in Health, Education and the Governance Sectors.

Opening the Assessment Workshop, the Minister of State responsible for the Public Sector Reform Secretariat praised the increasing warm relations between France and Ghana and noted that the support to PSRS, particularly support for Performance Contracting in the Subvented Agencies was in line with the government's programme of working to progressively wean government agencies off subvention. He called on participants to endeavor to include critical activities that affected the citizens of the country in the performance agreements scheduled to be signed. He praised Accra Polytechnic, and KomfoAnokye Teaching Hospital for the achievements made, so far, after signing their respective performance agreements in 2012. He thanked GIMPA for accepting to provide technical backstopping to the performance contracting programme.

At the end of the workshop, the participants agreed on the roadmap which will lead to the signing of the fifteen (15) new performance contracts by September 2015. The process includes the preparation of their institutional four-year strategic plans and maintaining good collaboration between the identified institutions and the experts commissioned to formulate the contracts. It is expected that with ccooperation mainly between PSRS, PSC, OHCS, State Enterprises Commission, Fair Wages and Salaries Commission and other partners, this programme will lead to the establishment of a culture of performance contracting and indeed, performance management at the individual and institutional levels, which in the long run, will be linked to a more efficient and effective the public service delivery and autonomous subvented agencies. One of the activities in the roadmap is also to empower Central Government to monitor and evaluate the performance contracts signed. The roadmap will also determine the mode, the pace and responsibility of monitoring systems to be put in place and implement the components of the French support, which is being implemented under the project theme :” “Strengthening the accountability of Ghana's central and local administrations". This project is being funded by a Solidarity Priority Fund (FSP), a major tool to finance cooperation actions of the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the framework of the policy of development aid. The grant amounts 800 000 euros and is being implemented for three years, from June 2014 to May 2017.

To manage this process, GIMPA and the French Embassy signed a grant agreement of 265 000 €, which is part of a Solidarity Priority Fund (FSP), on 13th November 2014. GIMPA is in charge of implementing several actions in order to strengthen the accountability at the central government level. It will drive the agencies and stakeholders to the signing of new performance contracts, support the accountability mechanisms at the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development (MLGRD), and organize trainings for public servants. GIMPA will collaborate specifically with French operators as Expertise from France and the French National School of Administration (ENA) as part of the process.

HONORABLE ALHASSAN AZONG, H.E FRéDéRIC CLAVIER

PARTICIPANTS OF THE WORKSHOP

WORKSHOP