The Government of Ghana has taken a significant step toward reshaping the country’s public administration by convening a National Stakeholder Validation Workshop to review the final draft of the National Public Sector Reform Strategy II (NPSRS II), a comprehensive framework designed to transform public institutions into more efficient, accountable and citizen-focused organisations.
The workshop, organised by the Public Sector Reform Secretariat (PSRS) under the Office of the President, brought together senior government officials, development partners, representatives of Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), civil society organisations, academia, organised labour, the private sector and the media at the AH Hotel in East Legon.
The validation exercise marks the final stage before the strategy’s formal adoption and implementation as the government’s overarching blueprint for public sector reforms.
According to the Secretariat, the strategy was developed through an extensive consultative process involving broad stakeholder participation to ensure that it reflects national priorities and responds to the evolving needs of Ghana’s governance landscape.
Building a Public Sector that Serves Citizens
Opening the workshop, the Minister of State for Public Sector Reforms, Hon. Lydia Lamisi Akanvariba, said the National Public Sector Reform Strategy II represents a new vision for public administration centred on improving the lives of ordinary Ghanaians.
She noted that although Ghana has pursued several reform programmes over the past decades, changing socio-economic realities, rapid technological advancement, growing citizen expectations and fiscal challenges demand a more integrated and sustainable reform agenda.
“The objective of this Strategy is simple,” she said. “It is to build a public sector that places citizens at the centre of governance.”
According to the Minister, public institutions exist to serve citizens and businesses, and every reform initiative outlined in the strategy must ultimately translate into tangible improvements in public service delivery.
She explained that these improvements include reducing delays in accessing government services, enhancing transparency and accountability, strengthening professionalism and ethical conduct within the public service, leveraging digital technologies to improve efficiency and ensuring that public services are accessible to all Ghanaians regardless of their location, gender, age or physical ability.
Seven Strategic Pillars
Hon. Akanvariba disclosed that the National Public Sector Reform Strategy II has been structured around seven strategic pillars, which will be implemented through 27 programmes and 135 strategic activities.
The interventions are expected to strengthen service delivery to citizens and businesses, build a competent and disciplined public sector workforce, modernise public institutions, improve regulatory systems, strengthen local governance structures, accelerate digital transformation and establish sustainable financing mechanisms for public sector reforms.
She stressed that the true measure of success would not be the number of activities undertaken but the real-life impact experienced by citizens.
“The success of this Strategy will be measured by the tangible improvements citizens and businesses experience in their daily interactions with public institutions,” she stated.
She explained that success should mean a business owner completing regulatory processes in fewer days, a farmer in a rural community accessing government services without travelling long distances, taxpayers obtaining services through simple and transparent digital platforms, and every Ghanaian experiencing professionalism, courtesy and efficiency when engaging public institutions.
The Minister further urged all stakeholders to maintain strong collaboration throughout implementation.
“As we pivot from Strategy development to implementation, let us remain guided and committed to ensuring that no Ghanaian is left behind. Let us partner where resources are limited, collaborate across organisations, demonstrate effective leadership and uphold the highest standards of professionalism,” she said.
She also expressed appreciation to members of the National Oversight Committee, the Technical Committee, the Public Sector Reform Secretariat and all institutions that contributed to the preparation of the strategy.
Declaring the workshop officially open, she encouraged participants to actively contribute to discussions to ensure that the final document reflects broad national consensus.
Evidence-Based and Consultative Process
Delivering the welcome address, the Director of General Administration at the Public Sector Reform Secretariat, Mrs. Thelma Ohene-Asiamah, described the workshop as an important milestone in Ghana’s public sector transformation journey.
She said public sector reform remains one of the key drivers of Ghana’s socio-economic development because an efficient and capable public service underpins good governance, improves service delivery, strengthens public trust and creates an enabling environment for private sector growth.
According to her, the development of the National Public Sector Reform Strategy II followed a rigorous evidence-based and highly consultative process.
She explained that the process began with comprehensive reviews of previous reform programmes, evaluation reports and sector data before progressing to technical engagements involving subject matter experts from the Public Sector Reform Secretariat and PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), with support from the World Bank through the Public Sector Reform for Results Project.
She added that the drafting process also included interviews, technical working sessions and nationwide stakeholder consultations involving Ministries, Departments and Agencies, local government institutions, academia, organised labour, civil society organisations, development partners and the private sector.
Mrs. Ohene-Asiamah noted that a multi-sectoral Technical Committee and a National Oversight Committee subsequently provided strategic direction throughout the drafting process, ensuring that the strategy reflects diverse perspectives and practical implementation considerations.
She emphasised that stakeholder ownership would be critical to the successful implementation of the strategy.
“The strength of this Strategy will ultimately depend not only on the quality of its design but also on the ownership and commitment of the organisations that will be responsible for its implementation,” she said.
She encouraged participants to critically examine the proposed priorities, strengthen the implementation framework and help position the strategy as a practical roadmap for transforming Ghana’s public sector.
Responding to Emerging National Challenges
Officials at the workshop observed that Ghana’s public sector reform agenda has evolved significantly since the Civil Service Reform Programme introduced in 1987.
While previous reforms have produced gains in institutional strengthening, digitalisation and improvements in service delivery, persistent structural challenges continue to affect efficiency across the public sector.
They noted that rising public expectations, demographic changes, fiscal pressures, technological advancement and increasing demands for transparency require a new generation of reforms that are integrated, sustainable and results-driven.
Consequently, the National Public Sector Reform Strategy II has been designed not simply as another reform initiative but as a comprehensive national framework for transforming public institutions into efficient, accountable and citizen-focused organisations capable of supporting Ghana’s long-term development agenda.
Key Strategic Priorities
The strategy is anchored on several priority areas considered essential for modern public administration.
These include accelerating digital transformation across government institutions, strengthening institutional coordination, enhancing performance management systems, improving regulatory frameworks, promoting citizen-centred service delivery, developing gender-responsive platforms, ensuring sustainable financing for reforms and strengthening monitoring and evaluation systems.
Officials noted that monitoring and evaluation would play a particularly critical role in ensuring accountability and measuring progress throughout implementation.
Among the priority interventions identified are the institutionalisation of a robust performance management framework that directly links organisational performance to national development outcomes while strengthening individual accountability across the public service.
The strategy also proposes accelerating end-to-end digital transformation by integrating government information systems, reducing duplication of processes and improving interoperability among Ministries, Departments and Agencies.
Other priorities include strengthening leadership and change management capacity through continuous executive development programmes for public sector managers, improving policy coordination by clarifying institutional mandates and reinforcing whole-of-government planning mechanisms, as well as investing significantly in workforce reskilling.
Particular emphasis will be placed on building competencies in digital technologies, data analytics, innovation management and customer service to prepare public servants for the demands of an increasingly modern and technology-driven public administration.
Blueprint for Public Sector Transformation
Once formally adopted, the National Public Sector Reform Strategy II is expected to become the government’s principal policy framework for driving reforms across Ghana’s public sector.
Government believes the strategy will help improve efficiency, accountability and transparency within public institutions while strengthening governance, enhancing service delivery and restoring public confidence in state institutions.
The validation workshop provided stakeholders with the opportunity to make final recommendations and ensure that the strategy enjoys broad national ownership before its official adoption, paving the way for a new phase of public sector reforms aimed at delivering better outcomes for citizens, businesses and national development.
