Accra, Nov. 5, GNA - Fifty-four more Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) have signed new charters to commit themselves to improve productivity and service delivery in the public sector, bringing the total number of MDAs that have signed the charters so far to 120. President John Agyekum Kufuor in October last year introduced the new charter concept to ensure excellence in public service delivery through which the institutions would make undertakings to improve their performance.

Mrs Mary Chinery-Hesse, Chief Adviser to the President, explained at the signing ceremony in Accra that it had been the President's serious agenda to redeem the sinking image of the public service providers and empower the ordinary person to access satisfactory public services.

"This novel and ingenious initiative has been aimed at arresting the widespread irritation, frustration and desperation encountered by the public when they come into contact with public agencies," she said. The Chief Adviser indicated that the MDAs were asked to set the performance benchmarks themselves, taking into account their remit and what they considered as respectable level of services. She said the MDAs that signed the charters would be held to their promises and therefore called for public support in drawing attention to any lapses.

"I therefore wish to appeal to the public to take advantage of the complaint machinery so that we can keep the public service institutions on their toes," Mrs Chinery-Hesse added.

She expressed the hope that more public institutions would join in to enable the country to boost of at least 1,000 charters in order to hold public servants more accountable to the public. Mrs Chinery-Hesse commended the concept to the next government that takes over from the Kufuor administration, stressing that the concept would make positive strides if sustained. Mr Samuel Owusu-Agyei, Minister of Public Sector Reform, said the charter marked a major achievement in government's public sector reform strategy. He indicated that there had been tremendous improvements in some of the MDAs that signed the charters months ago and expressed the hope these those that had joined in would help to further consolidate the gains.

The Minister said Ghana had been commended by sister nations to be doing well in her public sector reforms, saying some countries had even asked Ghana to share her experience. He announced that call centres had also been set up within five pilot agencies, with the toll free number (021-611161) to give the public free access to services of the agencies. The agencies are the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority, Registrar- General's Department, the Passport Office, Controller and Accountant General's office and the Land Title Registry Mr Owusu-Agyei said after the pilot project in three months, more call centres would be set up in the other agencies, to reduce the time frame within which MDAs did business.

He therefore appealed to heads of MDAs to sensitise their staff on the charter and to periodically review their targets. Those who signed the charters included the Ministry of Information and National Orientation, Ministry of Health, Ministry of Manpower, Youth and Employment, Ministry of Ports, Harbours and Railways and the Ministry of Water Resources, Works and Housing. The others sectors included the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital, Ghana Maritime Authority, National Sports Council, National Accreditation Board and National Ambulance Services. 5 Nov. 08