Accra, June 23, GNA - Nine state institutions have been selected to receive the President's Excellence Awards for Innovation in the Public Sector for the 2006/2007 year on Monday June 30.

The award, which comes in gold, silver and bronze categories, would go to outstanding institutions that have made imaginative and cost effective interventions that delivered positive results during the year under review.

Beneficiary institutions are the Community Water and Sanitation Agency, the Ministry of Fisheries, the Domestic Violence and Victim's Support Unit (DVVU), the Ghana Health Service's Policy Planning and Monitoring and Evaluation (PPME) Unit and the Health Division. The Centre for Remote Sensing and Geographic Information Systems and the Dental School, both of the University of Ghana; the Judicial Service Commercial Courts and the Private Court process Service Scheme. Announcing this in Accra on Monday to commemorate this year's Africa Public Services Day celebration, Mr Samuel Owusu-Agyei, Minister of Public Sector Reforms said the award is aimed at promoting excellence and inspiring best management practice in the public sector. He said this year's Africa Public Services Day, which falls on June 23 every year, is on the theme: "From Policy to Results-Based Implementation".

Mr Owusu-Agyei said this year, Ghana has chosen a day to celebrate the Day but individual institutions would be allowed to organise their weeklong activities.

"The Ministry of Public Sector Reform shall henceforth only celebrate the Africa Public Service day and the President's Excellence Awards for Innovations in the Public Services," he said.

He said Dr Osei Boeh-Ocansey, Director General of Private Enterprise Foundation would present a lecture on the topic: "Enhancing Productivity in the Public Sector: The private Sector Perspective" to mark the Day.

The Day was initiated by African Ministers and Civil Services at the third Biennial Pan African Conference in 2001 in Windhoek, Namibia where an African Service Charter was adopted to set standards to restore the dignity and prestige of the Public Service.