Development partners laud Ghana's reform process

Development partners have described as impressive and satisfactory, Ghana's reform process in the public sector promising further support under the Aid Effective Programme.

Mr Juan Costain, Lead Financial Sector Specialist on behalf of the development partners said Ghana had shown an impressive performance with progress in the reform process so far and that more support would be provided.

Speaking to the Ghana News Agency in Accra on Tuesday, he noted that the development partners, which included the World Bank, DFID, JICA, CIDA and the UNDP were pleased with Ghana and would soon release an additional 10 million dollars into the Partners Fund.

Mr Costain explained that the Fund was created under the Aid Effectiveness Programme to enable beneficiary governments to manage and own developments programme themselves to achieve maximum results.

Speaking at a Joint Steering Committee Meeting to review performances of the Ministry for the year 2007, Mr Costain mentioned the development of the country's comprehensive work programme, its inter-agency approach, and the good sense of ownership of the process that had so far been displayed by Government as laudable.

He said, "The organisational structure of Ministry of Public Sector Reforms is a good example of the process."

Mr Costain said the work programme clearly focused on precise outcomes and objectives, responsibilities and direct actions.

Mr Samuel Owusu-Agyei, Minister of Public Sector Reforms said the meeting was in fulfillment of a memorandum of understanding between Government and the development partners to review work done and chart a way forward.

He said reforms carried in 2007 included, pay reforms, which were currently at advanced stage, improvement in the conditions of service and records management, and fostering of inter-agency cooperation and collaboration within the public sector.

Others were human resource framework, which provided training in leadership, effective service delivery aimed at ensuring responsibility and accountability within the public service and reforms in the subvented agencies.

Providing verification of performance for the 2007 activities, Mrs. Rebecca Amoo-Aboagye, Chief Director of the Ministry said the new single spine pay structure was very much on course and that initial options for establishing equity had been completed.

She said the Civil Service law would soon be passed to create the platform to professionalise human resource functions in the Public Service in order to strengthen capacity.

Mrs Amoo-Aboagye said the New Charter, which President Kufuor launched recently to inject discipline in work ethics and promote accountability in the public service required all public institutions to set up Charter Units within their establishments.