Ghana Civil Service moves ahead, adopting automation, artificial intelligence, e-governance
Technology represents one of the most significant historical phenomena, with implications for shaping the structures of public service and the mode of knowledge acquisition and information sharing for effective service delivery.
Some countries have derived real economic growth and social well-being from the technologies of automation, e-governance and artificial intelligence (AI) and have been exercising increasing measure of influence over others that have not adopted them.
The need to strategise to seize new opportunities and effectively overcome challenges in an era of rapid technological advancements is vital at a time when public services are constantly evolving for relevance and survival.
It is in the light of the important role technology plays that the Ghana Civil Service, in its 2025-week celebration and 2024 awards ceremony, chose the theme: “Adapting to Automation, Artificial Intelligence and E-governance — The Civil Service in Contemporary Ghana”.
The Civil Service is moving ahead in adopting automation, AI and e-governance and this presents a forward-thinking roadmap to anchor its vision on innovation, collaboration and inclusivity for effective service delivery.
Dialogue
At the public lecture and policy dialogue of the week celebration, discussants from academia, policy, data regulatory and industry practitioners converged on a common perspective of embracing change and harnessing the power of technology to deliver public services faster and conveniently.
The Head of the Civil Service, Dr Evans Aggrey-Darkoh, maintained that the service had evolved.
With its position at the pinnacle of government machinery, it had to be repositioned to meet contemporary challenges.
A well-resourced machinery of government is efficient in service delivery.
The service competes with other parastatals, and needed to measure up to them, as they were technologically advanced and had the advantages of exercising an increasing measure of influence on policy outcomes.
Technological capabilities were, thus, needed to make staff better in their functions.
Week
The Civil Service week was the platform for exchanging innovative ideas and sharing best practices while also supporting the government’s resetting agenda.
By embracing change and harnessing the power of technology, the service can contribute to developing Ghana.
In pursuing these efforts, the Service ought to assume its responsibilities more efficiently in controlling disruptive technologies and developing suitable ones to cope with current changes.
Although such changes are hard to imagine in the short term, given the current trends in technology adoption and accompanying infrastructure deficits in the service, the continuous investment in technology upgrades can support the competitive advantages in the long term.
Since the reintroduction of the Week Celebration in 2019, Civil Service staff have been rewarded for their steadfast commitment to excellence, integrity, professionalism and loyalty and this must be sustained to generate interest in the success of the technological drive in the servic
The writer is the corporate affairs officer,
Land Use and Spatial Planning Authority (LUSPA).
E-mail: stematash@gmail.com
