Adopt Kaizen to eliminate waste, improve performance — Chief of Staff
The Chief of Staff, Julius Debrah, has called on public sector workers to embrace the Japanese Kaizen philosophy as part of efforts to improve efficiency, eliminate waste, and enhance productivity in government institutions.
Kaizen is a Japanese management and productivity philosophy that means “continuous improvement,” and focuses on making small, consistent improvements over time rather than relying only on big, dramatic changes.
According to him, the principles of discipline, attention to detail, and continuous improvement remain critical to achieving national development goals and improving service delivery.
Speaking at a high-level awareness seminar on the theme: ‘Kaizen for Ghana: Unlocking National Productivity, Business Growth and Public Sector Excellence,’ in Accra on Thursday, Mr Debrah said the current administration attaches great importance to performance, accountability, and the achievement of targets.
The seminar brought together representatives from the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation, the 24-Hour Economy Authority, public and private sector institutions, development partners, and captains of industry.
The Chief of Staff noted that President John Dramani Mahama strongly believes in results-oriented leadership and pays close attention to detail in governance and administration.
“Any target set by the President must be achieved, and attention is always paid to detail,” he stressed.
Mr Debrah explained that the Kaizen concept, which originated from Japan, focuses on continuous improvement through small but consistent changes.
Breaking down the term for participants, he said “Kai” means change, while “Zen” refers to good, indicating that positive transformation can be achieved through gradual improvement.
He stated that one of the key lessons of Kaizen is the importance of paying attention to small details in order to achieve larger objectives over time.
According to him, the philosophy encourages workers to identify inefficiencies within their own work environments and take practical steps to address them without waiting for directives from superiors.
Mr Debrah said workers could collectively examine practices that cause wastage or delays, including excessive use of mobile phones and spending unnecessary time on non-work-related activities during office hours.
“At the end of the day, you and your colleagues will be able to eliminate some of the things that cause wastage at your place of work,” he stated.
He said Kaizen had gradually evolved into a global productivity tool adopted by institutions and governments across the world to improve efficiency and reduce waste.
Mr Debrah urged participants to take the training programme seriously and apply its principles in their respective institutions to help improve productivity within the public sector.
The Chief Representative of the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), Uchiyama Takayuki, called for the adoption of the Kaizen philosophy as a national development strategy to improve productivity, efficiency, and institutional performance in Ghana.
According to him, integrating Kaizen into public sector reforms, industrial development, and workplace management practices would support Ghana’s economic transformation agenda and complement the government’s 24-hour economy initiative.
“A productive economy requires productive institutions, productive systems, and productive people,” he said, adding that meaningful transformation begins with small but consistent improvements over time.
JICA reaffirmed its commitment to supporting Ghana through partnerships with government institutions, industries, and training centres to strengthen productivity and institutional excellence, as Ghana and Japan prepare to celebrate 70 years of diplomatic relations in 2027.
The programme formed part of broader efforts to strengthen institutional performance and promote a culture of efficiency and accountability in public service delivery.
BY CLIFF EKUFUL
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