Ghana's public sector reforms process hailed

Accra (Greater Accra), 29 Jan. '99 -

Ghana's strategy of putting civil society in the centre of the planning and implementation of national programmes has been hailed by the international community as a novelty worth emulating. Mr Al Gore, American Vice-President, who opened a world forum on public sector re-invention in Washington last week, said the strategy demonstrates a will to actualise accountability and transparency in governance. Ghana's representative to the forum, Dr Appiah Koranteng, National Co-ordinator of the National Institutional Renewal Programme (NIRP), told newsmen in Accra today that about 40 ministers and public service administrators converged at the United States' capital last week to brainstorm on public sector reforms. He said members viewed Ghana's public sector reform as a home- grown approach, which is based on consultation among the major players. " Our modernisation and re-invention process has proved to be sustainable since no player was left out in all stages of planning. The NIRP was inaugurated in 1994 to oversee the reformation of the entire public sector to make it more responsive to national priorities. Dr Koranteng said the district assembly concept which allows the people to state their own priorities in national planning received commendation. " We are not pursuing a grandiose or ambitious programme, but our smooth method of administration is certainly one of the best in the world and we proved it at the forum. " We have touched all facets of the public sector. Very soon we shall be seeing results, having moved from analysis to implementation and monitoring." Dr Koranteng said experiences shared by Canada in the area of fiscal administration and the measurement of performance proved crucial to the nation's re-invention process. " It is about time that we started holding managers accountable for results and delivery in our public sector."