Boards and management must know their roles – Veep

Vice President Kwesi Amissah-Arthur has charged boards and management of public institutions to know their roles to forestall the conflicts that regularly occur between them and its negative impact on their organisations.

He said many of the conflicts that had occurred at public organisations is as a result of their insufficient appreciation of their roles in the institution. Mr Amissah-Arthur was speaking at the 7th Annual Conference of Public Service Chief Executives, Chief Directors and Chairpersons of Governing Boards in Kumasi.

The conference which was on theme: “Renewing the face of the Public Service for high performance,” was intended to afford the leadership of the Public Service the opportunity to deliberate on emerging issues in public service administration as well as the implementation of new strategies for improved performance.

Besides, the conference also provides a valuable platform for the government to meet and share its vision with the Chief Executives and Chairpersons of the Governing Boards and Councils.

Mr Amissah-Arthur noted that in order to help clarify these roles the Public Services Commission (PSC) has developed a manual to guide the Board-Management relationship, adding that it must be finalised to become the standard manual to guide Boards and Councils.

He stated that Ghana’s Public Service has achieved varied results from the many reforms that had been implemented since the 1980s. He said the service now has to manage the rapid changes with short deadlines, achieve better client focus and higher standards of performance and accountability than before.

“Our citizens have higher expectation of the Public Service and the government, and are now very persistent and assertive in demanding efficient and cost-effective service delivery,” he added.

Mr Amissah-Arthur charged the public service to design innovative approaches in their management strategies to lift the nation to the desired path for growth and prosperity.

He said the public service has to acquire the anticipative, adaptive and innovative capabilities needed to address the challenges of the socio-economic environment.

He said the service needs a “new face” in terms of product branding through changes in organisational culture, changing the value system, the practices of employees based on outmoded norms and beliefs.