PSC launches 2014 State of Public Service Report in Accra

The Public Services Commission has launched the 2014 State of the Public Service Report in Accra. 

The report highlights strengths and weaknesses in the public service with focus on gender disparity, disability, corruption and recruitment processes. 

The Chairperson of the Public Services Commission, Mrs Bridget Katsriku, identified effective performance management system and behaviour change among the workers as critical to building strong and vibrant public service for national development.

She said the report was based on data collected from a cross section of the Public Service (PS); and 86 out of the 105 Public Service Organizations (PSOs) which were randomly selected responded, representing 82 per cent of the response rate.

Mrs Katsriku said the report revealed that there is a huge gender disparity in the leadership of public service organizations as 80 per cent of the leadership were men. And also that 90 per cent of the administrative heads of PSOs have first degrees or higher and 42 per cent have professional qualifications in law.

She said that the report also showed that the majority of administrative heads of PSOs were within the age brackets of 55 to 59 indicating that there was the need for a succession plan since most of them may retire soon.

She said “leadership engagement with internal stakeholders was found to be adequate while leadership engagement with external stakeholders was found to be weak. Managerial skills were also lacking at the various levels of leadership in the public service”.

Mrs Katsriku said the report also found that recruitment policies and procedures have not been adhered to, as only 16 per cent of organizations surveyed indicated that they advertised vacancies.

She said majority of staff did not take their annual leave as required by the regulation, representing only 7.6 per cent in 2014, adding that the inability of staff to take their annual leave so as to rest and rejuvenate would affect performance and productivity adversely.

Mrs Katsriku said out of a total workforce of 4,073 in the organizations surveyed, 69 per cent were male, 31 per cent female and 0.98 per cent were persons with disability and this reveals the limited opportunities available for persons with disability.

She said response on the issue of corruption revealed that 23 per cent represented charging of illegal fees for service, 21 per cent used office logistics for private gains, 8 per cent for gifts and payment from suppliers, and 11 per cent for stealing of office equipment and embezzlement.

GBC/GNA