Chief directors sign performance agreements

Chief directors of the various ministries have signed new performance agreements with the Office of the Head of the Civil Service (OHCS) to deliver efficient services.

The agreements will provide the basis for the assessment of the chief directors at the end of the year.

The agreements were signed by the acting Head of the Civil Service, Nana Agyekum Dwamena, the chief directors and their respective sector ministers.

Speaking at the signing ceremony in Accra yesterday, the Chief of Staff, Mr Prosper Bani, advised civil servants to work hard to change the negative perception about the Civil Service.

He said the public held a negative view of public servants and called for a forum that would discuss and address the challenge.

Mr Bani said the Civil Service was a partner to the government in the implementation of policies and said the Presidency was prepared to partner the service to ensure the development of the country.

While acknowledging the role of chief directors in the implementation of government policies, Mr Bani reiterated the need for their performance to be evaluated and assessed over time to ensure better service delivery.

He urged the chief directors to commit themselves to achieving the objectives of their various ministries and said that the government would not countenance non-performance from them.

Caution

For his part, the Minister of Finance, Mr Seth Terkper, said chief directors played an important role in the administration of public funds, and explained that the Financial Administration Act made the directors responsible for financial management at the ministerial level.

He cautioned the chief directors not to spend beyond their allocated budgets, adding that arrears incurred by them affected the quantum of money allocated them in subsequent budgets.

To ensure efficiency in the administration of public funds, he said the Ghana Integrated Financial Management Information System (GIFMIS) would ensure that estimates made by the various ministries fell within the budget.

The GIFMIS is a software designed to provide accurate, timely and reliable financial information for the government and it also ensures that ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) spend within their budgetary allocations.

Performance agreement

In an address, Nana Dwamena said the introduction of the performance agreement system (PAS) in the service was to ensure efficiency to change the negative perception of poor service delivery.

“This has become necessary because in the execution of duties, it is also critical to measure and assess the quality and quantum of work that one churns out and  match set goals and targets to meet the expectations of stakeholders,” he said.

Nana Dwamena announced that the evaluation report on the 2013 agreements had been discussed at a meeting between the Public Services Commission and the Civil Service Council, adding, “Very significant and useful decisions relating to improving and sustaining this initiative have been documented.”