Manage public service like your father’s property - Mahama

President John Mahama, has charged public servants to manage the public sector institutions with zeal and commitment as they would manage their father’s property to remove the inefficiency in that sector.

He said the public service belonged to all Ghanaians and therefore its success and sustenance must engage the attention of all.

The President therefore tasked the heads of the various public service institutions to step up their supervisory role because the key ingredient missing in the public service sector is supervision and accountability.

President Mahama was speaking at the opening of the 8th conference of Chief Directors of the Public Service, Chief Executives and Chairpersons of Governing Boards and Council of the Public Service Commission (PSC) in Koforidua.

He said it was unacceptable that the public service sector should be synonymous to inefficiency and asked: “if the public service today is handed over to you same directors and leaders to manage as your own, would you do it in the same manner you are doing in trust for the people of Ghana?”

President Mahama mentioned bureaucracy and delays as some of the attitudes in the public sector that the leadership of the public service must change, and improve upon the service delivery with standard measures for productivity.

He said the donor partners of the country are complaining of non-utilization of donor funds due to delays and lack of commitment on the part of the public sector officials and other unacceptable attitudes such as demanding moneys for service for which they are being paid for by the government.

Mrs Bridget Kastriku, Head of the PSC in her address, noted that, the interface between governing boards and councils and sector ministries are not clearly defined resulting in low performance and none achievement of set targets.

She disclosed that, the PSC has developed a manual to clearly define the roles of the various players, including ministers, boards and councils to harmonize their respective roles towards achieving the set goals and targets of the public sector.

Mrs Katsriku said, in order to access the impact of the public service, an annual survey has begun last year and the maiden report would inform PSC on guidelines to improve the public sector service.

Antwi-Boasiako Sekyere, the Eastern Regional Minister said the public sector was the surest way of extending opportunities to all and stressed the need for its negative perception over the years to be changed for the better.