Government has said the success of the proposed National Public Sector Reform Strategy II (NPSRS II) will be measured by improvements in public service delivery.
The proposed five-year strategy seeks to improve the quality, accessibility and efficiency of government services through digitalisation, stronger accountability and institutional reforms.
Mrs Lydia Lamisi Akanvariba, Minister of State for Public Sector Reforms, said this at a National Stakeholder Validation Workshop in Accra to review the draft strategy before its submission to Cabinet.
“The success of this Strategy will be measured by the tangible improvements citizens and businesses experience in their daily interactions with public institutions,” she said.
Mrs Akanvariba said the strategy was designed to build a citizen-centred public sector that delivered efficient, transparent and accessible services nationwide.
She said it was structured around seven strategic pillars, 27 programmes and 135 activities aimed at improving service delivery, strengthening regulatory systems, modernising public institutions, enhancing local governance, expanding digital government services and ensuring sustainable financing for reforms.
The Minister said the strategy built on reforms implemented under the Public Sector Reform for Results Project, supported by the World Bank, which introduced improvements at institutions including the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority, the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice, the Passport Office and the Births and Deaths Registry.
She said lessons from the previous reform strategy, including delays in funding and incomplete implementation in some institutions, had informed the new framework.
Mrs Akanvariba said Government was working with the Ministry of Communication, Digital Technology and Innovations and the National Identification Authority to integrate key public services through interoperable digital platforms to improve access and reduce the need for physical visits to public offices.
She said the draft strategy had been developed through consultations with ministries, departments and agencies, local government institutions, organised labour, academia, civil society organisations, development partners and the private sector.
Mrs Akanvariba said the document would be submitted to the Chief of Staff for onward presentation to Cabinet following the validation exercise, after which implementation would commence, subject to Cabinet and parliamentary approval.
She said the strategy included a monitoring and evaluation framework to assess implementation and measure improvements in public service delivery.
Dr Evans Aggrey-Darkoh, Head of the Civil Service, said sustained public sector reforms were necessary to strengthen institutions and respond to changing governance demands and citizens’ expectations.
He said digitalisation would be a key driver of the reforms by improving efficiency, reducing excessive human interaction and minimising opportunities for corruption while making government services more accessible.
“The public sector is still critical to national development. The State cannot abdicate its responsibility but must continue to provide the leadership and regulatory environment that promotes inclusive growth and national transformation,” he emphasised.
Mr Kizito Ballans, Technical Advisor to the Deputy Chief of Staff, Nana Oye Bampoe-Addo, said stronger implementation, effective monitoring and evaluation, integrated digital government systems, leadership development, workforce re-skilling and structured citizen feedback would be critical to achieving the strategy’s objectives.