The Head of Civil Service, Dr. Evans Aggrey Darko, has called for sustained public sector reforms to strengthen state institutions, improve service delivery and support Ghana’s long-term economic and social development.
Speaking on the sidelines of the National Stakeholder Validation Workshop on the National Public Sector Reform Strategy II (NPSRS II), Dr. Darko said reform must remain a continuous process because institutions naturally deteriorate over time and must adapt to changing national and global demands.
He said governments face increasing pressure to deliver better services with limited resources, making institutional transformation essential.
“Institutions decay with time. We also live in a very complex, ambiguous and uncertain world. Therefore, we need to do things differently. Citizens’ expectations continue to change, and there is increasing pressure on government to deliver more with limited resources,” he said.
Dr. Darko explained that public sector reform extends beyond restructuring institutions and includes reviewing systems, improving business processes, strengthening human resource capacity and placing customer service at the centre of public service delivery.
He stressed that building the capacity of public servants is critical to improving the quality of government services.
“You cannot give what you do not have. We must continue to build the capacity of our personnel because, at the end of the day, the quality of the services we provide will determine our relevance and value to the people,” he said.
The Head of Civil Service noted that effective service delivery is essential for strengthening public trust and democratic accountability.
According to him, governments that deliver on citizens’ expectations build confidence in public institutions, encourage tax compliance and promote support for national development programmes.
Dr. Darko said the National Public Sector Reform Strategy II is designed to make public institutions more productive, efficient and responsive to citizens’ needs.
He identified key priorities of the strategy as deepening decentralisation, strengthening local governance, promoting inclusivity and mainstreaming gender equality across the public sector.
Referring to data from the 2021 Population and Housing Census, he said women constitute a larger share of Ghana’s population and must be fully integrated into national development efforts.
He said the Civil Service has established a Gender Task Force, introduced gender-mainstreaming initiatives and incorporated gender-disaggregated indicators into performance appraisal systems.
Dr. Darko also highlighted digital transformation as a major pillar of the reform agenda, saying technology can improve transparency, reduce corruption opportunities and make government services more accessible.
“We want to adopt modern methods of service delivery and reduce unnecessary human interaction because excessive human interface often creates opportunities for corruption. Through digitalisation, we can make government services faster, more transparent and more accessible,” he said.
He said the strategy also seeks to improve workplace conditions, strengthen occupational safety, enhance recruitment processes and introduce more effective talent management systems.
The Civil Service boss further underscored the importance of ethical leadership, integrity and accountability in managing public institutions and public resources.
He argued that performance management systems should be strengthened by linking rewards and compensation to measurable results in order to improve productivity.
“Compensation is important, but when compensation is linked to performance, it creates an incentive for people to deliver better results,” he said.
Dr. Darko said Ghana’s public sector reform agenda is ultimately aimed at building a developmental state capable of driving sustainable economic transformation.
He noted that the state’s role is not only to participate directly in economic activities but also to create an enabling environment for private sector growth through effective regulation and strong institutions.
He cited agencies such as the Food and Drugs Authority, Ghana Standards Authority, Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority and the Environmental Protection Authority as examples of institutions that play critical regulatory roles in national development.
He stressed that laws must be effectively enforced if they are to contribute meaningfully to development.
Dr. Darko called on the media and other stakeholders to support the implementation of the National Public Sector Reform Strategy II, saying national development requires both sound policies and effective execution.
“Implementation is the action phase of every policy. We must move beyond speeches and ensure that our good intentions result in tangible improvements in the lives of our people. That is how we will truly achieve national development,” he said.