Speakers at a public lecture, organised as part of the country’s Civil Service annual week celebration, have called for public-private sector partnership to be intensified, because such a synergy is an important catalyst for national development.

At the lecture in Accra on Tuesday, speakers, including players in industry and academia, noted that having a buoyant co-operation between the public and private sectors had become even more necessary currently.

The Chief of Staff, Akosua Frema Osei-Opare, who was the Chairperson for the programme, mentioned that a strong bond between the public and private sectors would create an atmosphere that would enhance and provide avenues for the transformation of the economy.

She said, “The private sector has taken centre stage in our national development efforts as the engine of growth. It is, therefore, important that in its work, the Civil Service engages with players, both in the public and private sectors, to identify potential areas of collaboration for national development.

“Taking into account where our country seeks to be in the short and medium term, the beauty of synergy is that it establishes a greater force which helps, successfully, in overcoming obstacles which confront an entity, which it may not have been (able to handle) should it decide to do so independently,” she added.

The Rector of the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA), Professor Philip Ekow Bonzie-Simpson, also reiterated the importance of public-private partnership, as both had to depend on each other for substantial growth and sustainability.

He, however, bemoaned the apparent political interference in the professional work of the Civil Service, saying, “Right from independence through to date, the Civil Service has faced much political challenges. This interference has not advanced the course of the country’s development.”

Professor Bonzie-Simpson called for professionalism and meritocracy in the Civil Service, advocacy for parity of esteemed services, and government agenda which would support the Civil Service to work independently for the benefit of the country.

He encouraged a targeted engagement with the various business ministries, and professional organisations, and a meaningful link between learning and research and practice for the private sector for national growth.

The Head of the Ghana Civil Service, Nana Agyekum Dwamena, said “Modernity history has shown that the future of states in various regions of the world relies on a strong relationship between government, the private sector, and other actors within the governance space,” he stated.

Indicating that the shift in governance systems called for more collaboration, Nana Agyekum Dwamena, said, “Indeed, the private sector can only invest in various sectors of the economy after the establishment of a sound framework by the public sector.”

He, therefore, urged the public sector, particularly, the Civil Service, and the private sector to focus on enhancing service delivery to the general public due to the complexities of modern development, which calls for effective networking.