African Public Servants have been saluted and commended for their selfless service and hardwork toward the realisation of socio-economic growth of the continent.
This commendation was made by Dada, Joseph Olugbenga, Deputy President of the Africa Association for Public Administration and Management (AAPAM), as part of the 2023 African Public Servant Day Celebration across the continent.
Dada used the occasion to call for more synergy between the the political class and the Public Servants.
According to him,” while the Politicians represent the composer and the conductor in a concert, the Public Service represents the instrumentalists. While the politicians must have the vision of change and the gift of making the people sees his vision as he sees it, it is the Public Service who must bring the vision down to earth, formulate it in terms the administrative machinery can carry out and, after necessary political appraisal, execute the programme and policy”.
He noted that in all countries, the Public Service occupies a unique central position and possesses the capacity to achieve results in realising development goals. The Public Service is universally acknowledged as the administrative machinery of government for the implementation of its policies and programmes. Indeed, it is hard for any government to succeed without an efficient and professional public service.
With respect to theme of this year’s 2023 Continental Africa Public Service Day (APSD) celebration which is: “The African Continental Free Trade Area (ACFTA) will Require a Fit for Purpose African Public Administration to Succeed”,the Deputy President, Africa Association for Public Administration and Management (AAPAM), acknowledged that the Public Service on the Continent still faces human, structural, process, institutional and legal hurdles which requires urgent attention.
Dada suggested that, in order to achieve the objectives of ACFTA, there is the need for a modern, ethical, innovative, result-oriented, IT-savvy and a professional public service. These should be the focus of Public service reforms aimed at re-tolling and re-positioning the public service in order to make it fit for purpose.
The African Public Service Day celebration is slated for Friday, 23rd June, 2023.
