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Momodou
Denmark
11833 Posts |
 Posted - 11 Nov 2006 : 15:28:10
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Lack of Good Governance Impedes Civil Service Efficiency
By Modou Nyang
Absence of good governance is the cause of many of the problems of the civil service of the Gambia, leading to lack of efficiency, productivity and progress, according to the 2005 National Human Development Report, NHDR. The report which was commissioned on Monday at the Kairaba Beach Hotel by the United Nations Development Programme UNDP, indicated that there is no single blue print for good governance, politicisation of the civil service, frequent dismissals and retirements of civil servants without resort to due procedures and poor governance systems are major challenges hampering the effectiveness of the public service.
Dilating further on the issues affecting the civil service, the NHDR 2005 report attributed the rising attrition rates particularly at professional and management levels together with lack of resources and expertise as a result of economic decline and the commitment and motivation of public servants due to the instability of tenure of office, as the other major factors confronting the public service.
“Tenure of office is a problem in the civil service” stated the report, “in the old order, things would move in an orderly manner, it was difficult to hire and fire (but) now it happens easily”. And it concluded, “the civil service has become very unstable and job security is absent”.
The 2005 NHDR is the fourth in a series published by the UNDP since 1997 and it seeks to address the issue of capacity building for the attainment of the millennium development goals, a target set by the United Nations to eradicate extreme poverty, achieving universal primary education and promoting gender equality and women’s empowerment by 2015. It also seeks to reduce child mortality (under-five), combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases, ensure environmental sustainability and developing a global partnership for development.
However with the theme of the NHDR 2005 set at building capacity for the attainment of the millennium development goals, the report recommended for the introduction of performance agreement contracts to ensure senior officials are output oriented so as to be held accountable for the delivery of measurable outputs within a determined time frame. The Decentralisation of promotion systems and the introduction of a performance based remuneration and promotion scheme. It also recommended for the revival of the civil service associations, which has been very vibrant during the colonial period, for the enhancement of productivity, resolution of grievances and improvement of conditions of service for the civil service.
Source: Foroyaa Newspaper Burning Issue
Issue No.98/2006, 10-12 November, 2006
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