General News of Thursday, 4 April 2019

Source: Prosper Agbenyega

EPL to mentor next batch of public service leaders

Moses Cofie explaining the concept to the media Moses Cofie explaining the concept to the media

The Emerging Public Leaders of Ghana (EPL Ghana) is ready to accept applications for its second cohorts for its public service fellows who have interest in developing a career in public service.

The cohorts who will undergo a two years mentorship program will be drawn from high-performance university graduates who are preparing to undertake their National Service from August 2019.

Moses Cofie, Country Director for EPL addressing the media said the cohorts who will pass the application process will serve one year of their National Service after which they will fully be incorporated into the EPL as full fellows who will have the chance to undergo rigorous training and mentorship to gain leadership skills necessary for the public service.

He said the fellowship has built a strong partnership with the government of Ghana, including the office of the Head of Civil Service and the National Service Scheme.

Last year, over 500 people applied, gone through the process but 20 were selected based on the capacity the fellowship had.

The 20 have been successfully placed in Public service as Public Service Fellows, working in nine government institutions.

This year, the EPL is also considering 20 people to undergo its training and mentorship program so as to become part of the Public service structure of the country.

Emerging Public Service of Ghana is an Accra-based Organisation that is developing Ghana's next generation of competent and motivated leaders who are committed to a career in public service.

According to Moses Cofie the fellowship provides talented Ghanaian university graduates with two years of given employment in the public service to improve public service delivery and good governance.

In an interview, Moses Cofie explained that becoming a fellow comes at no cost to the applicant.

He said, applicants, are to successfully undergo interview sessions where individuals with the passion to serve in the public service are identified and given the opportunity to undergo the ELP training g and mentorship programs.

He also explained that each fellow is assigned two mentors, one from the Public service and one from the Private sector who will groom the fellow on work ethics and how best they can operate within the field for which they have been identified.

Moses Cofie averred that the EPL produces fellows for the various public service sectors based on the needs of those sectors, “we match these fellows depending on their field of expertise to the demand in the public sector. However, since these people are university graduates, they can operate across the diverse spectrum of job specifications.”

Application for this year’s fellowship will end on April 7, 2019.