Head of Civil Service calls for hard work

Mr Joe Issacher, Head of Civil Service has expressed concern about the inadequate budgetary allocation, equipment and lack of personnel with requisite skills and knowledge in the public service. This, he said, had contributed to the abysmal performance of institutions under the Service in the country's stride towards accelerated national development. Mr Issacher raised the concerns at a meeting with Heads of Departments and Staff of the Service in Sunyani on his maiden official visit to Brong Ahafo Region. He said government was aware of the numerous problems facing the Civil and Public Service and would endeavour to strengthen institutions under them to be supportive to the private sector. Mr Issacher noted that the public service represented pertinent institutions that assisted the government to initiate and implement policies and expressed regret about the delays in the delivery of service and apathy among staff in the institutions. He announced that a World Bank report indicated that the country's public service performance in national development was about 35 per cent that was disappointing, adding, "there is no way the government can increase salaries if productivity remains at a lower level". Mr Issacher said for Ghana to attain a middle-income level by 2015, there was the need for a strong and efficient public service to partner and integrate with the private sector to facilitate the developmental agenda. He said government had engaged a consultancy firm to help review the pay structure and conditions of service of the civil service. Nana Boachie Dankwa, Chairman of Local Government Council reiterated that the anchor of decentralization was to ensure development and a major intervention towards reforms. "It is against this background that the government intends to establish and launch the local government service in December this year, under which new departments would also be created at the regional and districts levels," he stated. Nana Dankwa said this would help the various departments to transact their activities at the local level without travelling to Accra. The Local Government Council would establish regional departments of agriculture, births and deaths, works, finance, parks and gardens and social welfare. Nana Dankwa said the staff strength of the civil service would be reduced from 55,000 to less than 10,000 who would work directly with the centralized government in Accra to monitor records management and filing systems of the various departments whilst the council would employ the rest in the departments. He announced that a mandatory training programme had been evolved for directors, deputy directors and staff in all institutions in both the civil and public service. "We shall revamp and refurbish all training institutions," Nana Dankwa said, adding, modules and curricula were being developed to provide the training.