Senior Minister distributes vehicles, motorbikes to 16 public sector entities

In a bid to enhance efficiency and ensure accountability within Ghana’s public sector, the office of the Senior Minister has distributed 23 motorbikes and 25 vehicles to 16 selected entities under four institutions.

The initiative by the Office of the Senior Minister to distribute the vehicles and motorbikes to the selected entities falls under the Public Sector Results Project (PSRRP).

The project partially supports the implementation of Ghana’s National Public Sector Reform Strategy (2018-2023).

An efficient public sector can have a significant positive impact on government’s ability to generate more tax revenue.

Unfortunately, Ghana’s public sector has not been able to effectively contribute the needed support to stimulate private sector growth and development for wealth and job creation as it has been saddled with huge inefficiencies and poor accountability

The development objective of the PSRRP is to improve efficiency and accountability in the delivery of selected services by selected entities.

A US$35 million credit to finance the Public Sector Reform for Results Project was approved by the Board of Executive Directors of the World Bank on October 23, 2018. The Financing Agreement was signed on November 12, 2018.

Specifically, the PSRRP aims to help 16 selected agencies improve efficiency and accountability in delivery of key public services to citizens and firms, such as issuance and renewal of passports, vehicle registration and environmental permits, and registration of births and deaths.

To incentivize these 16 entities to improve, disbursement-linked indicators (DLIs) will reward entities which achieve agreed results and improve public accountability. Technical assistance will be provided to strengthen the entities’ capacities to achieve the DLIs.

The project has four components whose activities will enable achievement of project objectives.

Component One is aimed at Strengthening Organizational Performance, Component Two is meant to improve Efficiency, Accountability and Citizen Engagement in the Delivery of Selected Services. Component Three is centered on Monitoring and Evaluation, while Component Four will look at Project Management, Coordination and Public Reporting.

Speaking at the ceremony to distribute the cars, the Senior Minister, Yaw Osafo-Maafo said the institutions must ensure they put the vehicles to good use to achieve the desired results.

“We need to improve on the service that we provide. We are called the office of the public servant, do we realize that we are to serve both the public and the private sectors? Can we agree that without us there will be no growth in the public sector and without us, the private sector, which is the engine of growth, cannot also perform its needed function? Let’s put the resources to good use to achieve good results”.

23 motorbikes have already been distributed out of a total of 121 motorbikes which will arrive in the country by September 15, 2020.