Africa-Press – Namibia.
Public service commissions are important institutions, with civil servants playing a crucial role in delivering essential services.
These were the remarks of Kaire Mbuende, director general of the National Planning Commission, on Monday. Speaking at the opening of the three-day
Southern African Development Community Public Service Commissions (PSCs) Forum, he said civil servants are frontline workers in sectors such as education, health and issuing national documents like birth certificates and passports. “Countries are judged by the quality of their public service.
That is, the time that it takes to obtain a particular service is important, and can lead to a decision by investors to invest or not to invest,” Mbuende said.
He noted that in many countries, the government remains the largest employer and the effectiveness of the public service is central to the success of political promises and development goals. “As politicians, we make promises and set targets, but it is the public service that has to deliver,” he stressed.
Delegates attending the general meeting will address shared challenges such as skills shortages, ethical standards in the public sector and digital transformation. Public service commissioners f rom Zimbabwe, Angola, Botswana, Zambia, South Africa, Mauritius, Lesotho, Malawi and Namibia are attending the meeting.
Somadoda Fikeni, chairperson of the SADC PSC Forum, said the meeting is a practical platform for collaboration among member states. “Because on a daily basis, whether in a municipality or department, people receive service through the frontline staff members – through the back-office staff members,” said Fikeni, also the chairperson of the Public Service Commission of South Africa.
Namibia’s PSC chairperson Salmaan Jacobs, highlighted the importance of public service, urging SADC public service commissions to strengthen collaboration through formal agreements.
“To implement regional commitments effectively, formal agreements must operationalise them into concrete activities and public administration protocol s ,” Jacobs s ai d. The SADC PSC Forum was established in May 2024 in Cape Town, South Africa, to enhance the capacity and professionalism of public service institutions across the region.
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