President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has appealed to governing boards council, Chairpersons and Chief Executive Officers of public institutions to embrace digitalisation in order to promote efficiency in the public service.
He said it was important to initiate such actions, especially in an era of evolving trends in service delivery in a global world, where all attention was geared towards digitalization.
“Digital transformation holds the key to unlocking new levels of efficiency, transparency, and accountability within our public institutions and the public services cannot be left out in the global digitalization in service delivery,” he said.
The President made the appeal at the 11th Annual Conference of Chairpersons of Governing Boards and Councils, Chief Directors and Chief Executives of the Ghana Public Services held in Kwahu in the Eastern region.
The conference which was on theme “Repositioning Ghana’s Public Sector to Embrace Digital Transformation for better efficiency in the midst of Global Economic Challenges,” was purposed to provide a unique platform for top public servants in strategic leadership positions to meet and exchange ideas on contemporary issues of public administration practices.
It was also aimed at enabling the participants to reach a consensus on how to improve productivity, enhance performance and maintain high standards of service delivery.
President Akufo-Addo noted that digital technology offered unprecedented opportunities to enhance public service delivery, improve citizen engagement and build a responsive government, adding, that it was imperative for stakeholders in the public sector to harness the power of digital innovation to modernize the public sector to enhance service delivery to the Ghanaian people.
He indicated that by leveraging digital technology such as artificial intelligence, data analytics in block chain, bureaucratic processes could be streamlined and decision making could be enhanced for overall effectiveness of government operations.
However, he admitted the challenges such as cyber insecurity and complexities that came with digital transformation and called on public servants to accept the challenge with courage, creativity and determination to build a stronger economy for generations to come.
The President noted that to ensure a digitalized economy, government had initiated the National Digital Transformation Agenda and Ghana Tech Hub to create an enabling environment for digital staff innovators to thrive and attract investment to create high quality jobs for young generation.
He said the government was committed to investing infrastructure and connectivity to bridge the digital gab in the country, and to ensure that every Ghanaian had access to affordable and reliable internet services, by expanding broadband internet coverage, promoting digital literacy programme and support development to local contents and applications.
The President also urged the public servants not to be complacent but prioritize efficiency, effectiveness, be mindful of resource utilization, develop strategies and standards to manage its human resource and improve productivity levels in public service.
He also called on them to hasten process of amending the acts of governing operations of the commission, to strengthen the commission in delivering its core functions under the constitution.
For his part, the Chairman of the Public Services Commission, Professor Victor Kwame Agyeman, said there was a need for paradigm shift from the way public services operate and called on them to embrace digital transformation in their service delivery.
FROM AMA TEKYIWAA AMPADU AGYEMAN, KWAHU ATIBIE