Africa-Press – Lesotho. The Minister of Public Service Hon. Keketso Sello said the citizens have lost confidence in the public service owing to poor service delivery and lack of
professionalism. This he said during the official opening of the Capacity-building Seminar for States Parties to the African Charter on the Values and Principles of Public Service and
Administration on the State Parties Assessment Tool yesterday. “You will agree with me ladies and gentlemen that the recipients of Public Services, our citizens, are
dissatisfied and have completely lost confidence in our Public agencies due to poor quality of services extended to them, manifested by long queues and lack
of professionalism in the delivery of such services,” he charged. The three days hybrid training will run until Wednesday. Public service is one of the thematic areas that is undergoing the reforms processes.
“Poor service delivery is a lingering challenge. The explanation for this lies probably in the absence of
client-oriented performance indicators, dysfunctional and badly organized service perimeters, lengthy and cumbersome procedures, [the] opaque definition
of eligibility, apathy and indifference on the part of service delivery agents` and weak monitoring and evaluation mechanisms. “Service delivery quality
is particularly apt to be sabotaged by low morale and lack of incentives within the public service. The situation is such that service delivery agents would
sooner spend their working time chatting on cell phones than attending to the customer promptly and courteously,” reads the report titled ‘Consolidation of
Public Inputs into Reforms for National Leadership Forum and Second National Multi-Stakeholder Plenaries: Main Report of the Public Service Reforms’. “This seminar has come at
an opportune time when Africa Public Service is required to act on several fronts at the same time, in an economic environment characterized by ever-increasing financial constraints, where Public Service is clouded by
reports on unprecedented corruption where public officers are required to do more with [fewer] resources amidst diverse challenges brought about by amongst
others COVID-19 pandemic. Indeed without a strong Public Sector and committed public officers, efficient delivery of expected services to the citizenry shall
never be realized,” he said. The Minister underscored the importance of productive and responsive public service agencies saying they have “undoubtedly taken center stage” in the African development agenda.
Sello said he believes that values and principles contained in the African Charter on the Values and Public Service and Administration will help augment the capacity of the public
service for enhanced performance and service delivery. Some of the principles of the African Charter on the Values and Principles of Public Service and
Administration include Effective, efficient and responsible use of resources, Professionalism and Ethics in Public Service and Administration and Professionalism
and Ethics in Public Service and Administration. The African Union (AU) representative Isaaka Garba said the Charter is a legally binding document on public service and administration.
The Charter serves as a roadmap for standard setting for quality public service delivery,” Garba said.
He further noted that its principles espouse the public service code of conduct for public service agents. “… like any binding legal instrument, the effectiveness of the Charter lies in its holistic implementation
and translation of its provisions by member states to ensure quality, efficient and corruption-free public service delivery,” he said. The Director-General (DG)
of the Lesotho Institute of Public Administration and Management (LIPAM), Nthabiseng Tlhomola conceded that the public service is confronted by the challenges adding that if the African Charter is implemented they will address
the “current situation for the better”. The LIPAM DG also mentioned that the Charter is one of the instruments that can be employed to attain the African Union (AU) Agenda 2063 goal of effective public service
delivery in the continent. She told the participants that “learning is a continuous, lifelong process with no end” adding that “it is imperative that we continuously develop ourselves in pursuit of excellence”.
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