Editorial

When will our public officials who are paid to perform their duties be proactive? Ghana's public officials are most times reactive instead of being proactive to avert unforeseen, undesirable and deleterious events. That is the case with what is currently happening with the falling boulders that are endangering the lives of motorists and pedestrians on the stretch of the Accra-Aburi road between Ayi Mensa and Peduase, both towns in the Akuapem South Municipality, Eastern Region.

What with the seeming 'I-don't-care' attitude of the officials of the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO) and Ghana Highway Authority (GHA) after the perilous situation at that part of the Accra-Aburi road was made public recently by the media and public-spirited citizens. As Public Agenda's lead story headlined “DISASTER STARES AT DRIVERS, PEDESTRIANS … As rocks on Accra- Aburi road begin to fall …NADMO describes situation as tricky, and urges caution” indicates, the situation is a looming danger that the authorities must tackle urgently.

Unfortunately, there is no concrete preventive action being taken by the officials of NADMO and the GHA except mere talk, as usual. Listen to what NADMO officials said: “We are warning oncoming drivers. It is a tricky situation and it is important to warn oncoming drivers to be careful because of that hanging rock.” The Head of Geological Disasters at NADMO, Mr Joseph Ankrah, also said: “We went to the site and noticed that a rock not very big though, had fallen on the side of the road. Since the smaller rocks support bigger rocks, immediate actions need to be taken to avoid casualties and unpleasant consequences.” Hear the Public Relations Officer of the GHA, Mr Norbert Quamar: “We conducted studies on the topography of the area and we are yet to get the funding and the necessary logistics to undertake the necessary remedial measures.”

What warning is NADMO giving to users of the road when there are no conspicuous, reflective signs at both ends of the dangerous part of the road? How much funding and logistics does the GHA need to undertake preventive repairs on the road? If Ghana highly prioritises human life as other countries do, our public officials will not adopt such excuses-filled attitude towards their work. The government, represented by the Ministry of Roads and Highways, is also blamable since the buck stops with it – as the government must take ultimate responsibility for any catastrophe that occurs.

We should not wait for an unwished-for cataclysmic event to happen before we react with ex post facto measures as we are wont to do. If we do not remedy the precarious situation immediately and disaster strikes, the casualties may be serious. That is why Public Agenda is very much concerned about the lackadaisical attitude of the government and public officials to the looming danger at the Accra-Aburi road. This paper, therefore, urges the government to wake up from its slumber and take urgent steps to stem the real, clear and present danger staring at users of the road.

Page 6 Incompetent bureaucrats are destroying Ghana One of the problematic issues facing Ghana is the rising level of incompetence. If this problem is not addressed urgently, most or all the efforts by government will fail miserably. I reckon that making changes in Ghana has political implications but this must not stop the debate and bi- or multi-partisan action. Incompetent bureaucrats are destroying Ghana. We must streamline the public service to unearth efficiencies and guarantee effectiveness. In fact, the workers striking against the current increases in tariffs and taxes should point to how incompetence and over-staffing add immeasurably to increased cost in services and goods. Take Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) for example. The ECG is alleged to be a storehouse of incompetence, and consumers seem to be paying for it. In reality, the government should have pursued the path of finding efficiency and effectiveness, prior to or at the same time as it imposes modest taxes and tariffs. The sad and less stated part of this dilemma is that it has human cost as well.

Government

How did we work ourselves into a situation where the government spends about 70% of its resources on salaries and perks for present and past employees? Of the current workforce at the Ministries, Departments and Agencies, for example, it is estimated that only 40% of workers produce something meaningful.

Sixty per cent of the remaining workers do no meaningful work yet are paid. Of the 40% that work, it is estimated that half are incompetent. Indeed incompetence in government starts from the President's office, from Mi-nisters, Members of Parlia-ment, and various nerve centres (public services) of the government. This problem is a metastasising cancer that must be arrested now. Until we address the incompetence adequately, the mess that we are experiencing at the moment will be trivial compared to what awaits us in future. Pairing incompetence and corruption is a lethal mix that is guaranteed to ground Ghana. We cannot continue to pay people who do not work.

It is my opinion that a big part of Ghana's incompetence headache can be tracked to tribalism, biased political appointments and favouritism. In addition, nepotism and fraudulent academic credentials also contribute to the headache. Furthermore, even those with verifiable academic credentials may not have what it takes because their education or training does, or did, not cover what they are assigned to do. We are captivated by lofty degrees often not backed by substance and experience.

Even in areas where education is adequate, experience is sorely lacking. Equally, some of the schools and training outfits may be teaching and preparing our potential leaders wrongly. There is obviously a disconnect between what potential employees are being taught and the competencies needed to per-form effectively in both the private and public sectors.

Employees

The long and short of it is that either some Ghanaian employees are unprepared or do not care. This notwithstanding, Ghanaian civil servants expect to be paid at all times. We must get back to getting the right people to do the right job. For sure, we must hold people responsible and accountable.

I propose the 12 solutions below. First, we need to restate publicly, the mission (purpose), vision (future) and strategic goals (current and future goals, objectives and initiatives) of all public sector organisations. All leaders and employees must be able to understand and articulate the mission, vision and strategic goals of the organisation they work for. Employee must understand what they are hired to do and why.

Second, the President must ask all State employees in leadership positions to reapply for their current position. This way, a thorough examination of education, experience and potential can be done to make sure that round pegs are in round holes. We must redirect the ship of State by making sure the right people are in charge. We should not be afraid of kicking out those who do not want to do what we pay them to do and continue to thumb their nose at us. Third, Ghana must write new or shore up old job descriptions for all leadership positions. In actuality, all public service positions must be rewritten to support a clearly defined mission, vision and strategic goals. Fourth, purge employee rolls to remove 'ghost' workers and the dead. We must strictly computerise the system!

Fifth, we must move to a pay-for-performance, merit-based system. We must provide incentives and bonuses for performance and institute a performance management system that account for both merit increases and developmental opportunities for all employees.

Restructure

Sixth, we should restructure or right-size the public services to support the mission, vision and strategy of the MDAs. Seventh, we need to institute viable and sustainable Management Information System and technology system (backbone) that enable employees to perform the task assigned them. A system that also allows citizens to obtain timely services and promotes accountability and responsibility is a must.

Eighth, Ghana must stop paying numerous allowances and instead adopt one bulk salary system. There is the need to declare a state of emergency and cut all perks to the bare bones. Ninth, we must put in place a progressive discipline system that allows leaders to get rid of deadwood at the same time as it provides opportunity for growth for those who care to change.

Tenth, the country must provide relevant and timely continuous training for all employees. Based on organisational needs, strategic goals and personal development needs and job relevance, public sector employees must get the skills they need to be successful at their jobs. Eleventh, all government leadership positions must be hired in a transparent and competitive way. This means that the President's ability to appoint all kinds of partisan incompetent persons must be curtailed. A huge dose of transparency, accountability and responsibility must be injected into the hiring system. We must hire people based on merit, not on 'who you know basis.' There is the need to reposition and reconstitute our human resources departments to help change the culture of our public service organisations.

Learning

Twelfth, adult learning programmes and training institutions must be certified as competent before given they are licensed to teach or instruct people. In addition, the government must work with learning institutions to teach skills relevant to the work at hand. Training for government employees must be focused on critical subjects such analytical thinking, problem solving, effective communication, conflict resolution, leadership, change management, planning, data analysis, business ethics and workforce management.

All the above will not amount to a hill of beans if those in charge do not adhere to the mission and vision of Ghana, and hold duty bearers accountable. The real problem is the lack of courageous leadership! Informed, determined and selfless leadership!! Where will such leaders come from?