The emerging of COVID-19 in the country and the world in general, has pushed Ghana Civil Service to shift from the traditional way of serving clientele to digitization.
Information and Communication Technology has now become a powerful tool for enhancing the engagement with the general public as well as improving quality, transparency and accountability in the delivery of public services.
This was made known on behalf of the Head of Civil Service, Nana Kwasi Agyekum Dwamena by Dr. Aggrey Darko, Head of Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs during the Press Launch to mark the celebration of the 2021 Civil Service Week and Awards ceremony held in Accra on the theme, “Economic Transformation amid Covid-19 Pandemic: The Responsibilities of an Adaptive.”
Highlighting the achievements made so far in the Ghana Civil Service amid COVID-19 pandemic, Nana Dwamena said, as part of Civil Service role in the implementation of the 2018-2023 National Public Sector Reform Strategy (NPSR), the Civil Service has improved its digitization agenda to serve its clientele more efficiently and effectively.
He mentioned that, measures such as digitization of Work Processes and implementation of Flexible Working Hours, E-recruitment, Online Promotion Interviews and Service-Wide Capacity Building Programs and Training for Staff, have been instituted to enhance productivity even in the mist of the COVID-19 pandemic.
According to Nana Kwasi Agyekum Dwamena, the Ministry of Communications and Digitalization rolled out the Smart Workplace Platform to enable all Ministries, Departments and Agencies conduct government business in a more secured and standardized environment using the official email address and the various modules for documents management and digitized operational processes.
He added that, to ensure competitive, credible and transparent recruitment system, the OHCS in 2019 improved on its Computer-Based Civil Service Recruitment and Examination System, which he said, had been installed to replace the Old Paper-Based System.
“Two online application software were introduced; the Online Recruitment System and the Online Graduate Entrance Examination System. The Online Recruitment System is opened to all interested applicants while the Online Graduate Entrance Examination System is deployed to prepare shortlisted applicants to take the online examination”.
He further disclosed that, the OHCS in 2020 conducted online promotion interviews for Officers in the Civil Service saying, the strategy was adopted as part of the Civil Service’s adherence to the health and safety protocol association with the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic in order to minimize the in-person interaction of staff and curb the spread of the corona virus.
Technology
Nana Dwamena said the service has modernized work processes and tools and transformed work behaviour leading to changing employee roles.
The Civil Service has therefore not relented on its efforts to continue improving the capacity of its staff to effectively and efficiently deliver quality services”.
He revealed that, virtual training programs have been deployed to build the capacity of Civil Service staff adding that, about 2,500 Civil Service staff participated in a number of E-learning programs and workshops in 2020.