Reform of the public sector is imperative for devt

Cape Coast, July 6, GNA- The Minister In- Charge of Public Sector Reforms, Dr Paa Kwesi Nduom, on Wednesday, said, it was imperative for the public sector to be reformed if the country is to achieve its goal of becoming a middle-income country with a capita income of at least 1,000 US dollars.

According to him, the poor performance of the public sector, was the bane of the country's under-development and stressed that it was necessary to have the sector undergo 'vigorous reforms' to ensure accelerated development of the economy of the country.

Dr. Nduom, who made these remarks at a meeting with civil servants from the Western and Central regions at Cape Coast to interact and also brief them on what the reforms would entail regretted that the country could never attain the Golden Age of Business if civil servants do not change their attitude for the better to step up productivity. The Minister said the private sector, which has an important role to play in Ghana's economy, could only perform better with the cooperation of the Civil Service.

He however, noted that the conditions under which some public institutions work was 'horrible,' adding that the service has been ignored for far too long.

The Minister entreated all in the public sector to show some kind of enthusiasm in the course of their duties even if the facilities they are working with were obsolete while his outfit finds a sustainable way to address their grievances.

Dr Nduom told the personnel that the reform seeks to improve service delivery, the equipment and facilities at workplaces, the conditions of service and also encourage the training of personnel at all levels.

The Minister said the reform also seeks to improve the benefits given to civil servants in the areas of housing, utilities and transportation, among others.

He hinted that the civil service training centres and the government secretariats would soon be revamped to upgrade the training of personnel.

Alhaji Ziblim Yakubu, President of the CSA said the government has to partly accept responsibility for the dismal performance of the service because the conditions under which personnel work attest to the fact that there are injustices in the system that need to be addressed. The president said GIMPA, which was initially set up to train and upgrade personnel of the service, has now "become a commercialized venture" and hoped the reforms would be based on the principle of justice and fair play.

The Central Regional Minister, Mr Isaac Edumadze, who chaired the function, urged civil servants to change their attitude towards work and cultivate the right sense of duty to help increase productivity in order to attract better conditions of service. 6 July 05