State institutions nationwide are urged to enhance efficient service delivery to the people by setting deadlines on planned strategies and delivering on time.
Prime Minister Saara Kuugongelwa-Amadhila made this call during her address at the State Party Assessment Tool Pilot Program Workshop.
Kuugongelwa-Amadhila says that the public service is a state institution whose main objective is to plan, organise, and ensure control of the resources needed for effective public service delivery to the citizens.
She says it is, thus, a very dynamic component of the governance system of any state. And it extends from healthcare services, education provision, provision of transport infrastructure, or other social basics, all of which are for the benefit of everyone in the community.
Having said this, Kuugongelwa-Amadhila recognises the aspirations of the AU African Charter on Values and Principles of Public Service and Administration, which aims to ensure that the values and principles governing the organisation of public service and administration are promoted.
She further says that through this charter, they aim to promote professionalism, innovation, and cooperation with other governments in order to continuously improve public service.
"The Government of the Republic of Namibia undertook, in pursuit of transforming the public sector, to respond favourably to the demands of the citizens of Namibia and, to this end, remains committed to championing the delivery of effective and efficient services to the public and to being in a position to use innovation as a vehicle to promote the building of human and institutional capacity for public policy analysis, policy design and implementation, and public administration and management."
The government, through the Harambee Prosperity Plan, has embraced digital transformation as a means to improve service delivery. In this respect, government offices, ministries, and agencies are transforming the delivery of services through the use of IT.
This includes the automation of payment systems for government social programs, such as the integrated Social Assistance System (ISAS), the introduction of vouchers, etc., to reduce logistical costs and accelerate the timely delivery of services.
Furthermore, she says, with more functions being decentralised to regional councils, there is an increased need for enhanced capacity at regional councils to ensure that the benefits of bringing government services closer to the people are fully realised.
"So it means knowing that if primary health care is decentralised to the region, we should be able to implement these programs faster and better. If we don't do that, and we have noted that in certain institutions."
She noted that in certain institutions during the time of COVID-19, there was a need to implement programs such as sanitation in certain regions, but it was not done.
It is against this backdrop that regional councils are encouraged to work more towards serving the needs of the people.