The Rt. Hon. Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin, Speaker of Parliament of Ghana, has lauded the unrelenting sacrifices of the Civil Servant of Ghana, stating that, the role of the Civil Service in Ghana’s economy cannot be overemphasized.

I applaud your industry and creativity and doff my hat off to you all, he said, indeed, you are the mainstay of our nation, the spine of the Public Service and you deserve gratitude for your sacrifices.

He further called on government and Ghanaians to accept and appreciate the Civil Service as one of the main arteries of the soft power of Ghana.

Rt. Hon. Alban Bagbin, was speaking at the 2022 Awards Ceremony which forms part of the 2023 Civil Service Week Celebration held in Accra.

According to him, the ceremony is an occasion to recognize and celebrate the contribution of the Civil Service to Ghana’s development, particularly, the value addition, diligence and dedication of identifiable groups and individual staff members to the Service.

The former Civil Servant said, the year’s theme, “Enhanced Service Delivery and Economic Transformation in Ghana: The Civil Service in Focus”, is a call on all and sundry, particularly, the Civil Service to improve upon its performance by adopting cutting-edge, high-end modern IT tools, innovative strategies, enhanced competence and skills, and a culture of accountability and excellence to help save the country from its economic draw down.

Touching on Ghana’s economic transformation, the Speaker of Parliament, hinted that despite being touted as a beacon of democracy and stability in Africa, Ghana faces a myriad of challenges that could undermine the nation’s development and aspirations.

He cited that the self-imposed challenges include; travel extravaganza as described by the IMF, stark ignorance, and greed leading to abysmal economic performance, increasing inequality, poverty, environmental degradation and vulnerability to external shocks.

He stressed that Parliament and the Civil Service have critical roles to play to achieve the change and vision required to make the difference.

Rt. Hon. Alban Bagbin, explained that, the joint responsibility by Parliament and the Civil Service for economic development requires both parties to put in place various mechanisms to receive credible feedback from beneficiaries or victims of set laws and to revise the laws frequently to keep pace with the economic transformation.

He said that the Civil Service must budget for those items which are critical to national development for the consideration and approval of Parliament which is charged to take appropriate actions to safeguard public funds.

He disclosed that Parliament on its part, is processing the Budget Bill to create an opportunity to have an early entry into the budget process before presenting it to the House for approval.

He called on Parliament to engage various stakeholders, particularly, the Civil Service, in the provision of essential services to their constituents as it represents the hopes and aspirations of Ghanaians.

The Speaker of Parliament, stressed that a collaboration between Parliament and Civil Service would make the vision of a just, inclusive and sustainable Ghana become easier to achieve. He however, reiterated the need for an improved collaboration between Parliament and the Civil Service, to lead in Ghana’s economic transformation.

He cited that this can be achieved when the two (2) institutions establish constant communication through regular channels of dialogue, sharing information, ideas and perspectives on work-related issues.

According to him, the emergence of digitalization has enhanced accountability, transparency, professionalism and service quality. Thus, both parties ought to promote innovation by supporting each other to embrace new technologies and approaches to enhance efficiency and effectiveness to foster quality, reliable and efficient service delivery.

Rt. Hon. Alban Bagbin, further touched on approaches to improve service delivery and support the economic transformation of Ghana. He maintained that the Civil Servant cannot deliver quality service when under threat and servitude. He therefore, called on Parliament to act quickly as defenders and protectors of the rights and freedoms of the people to save the Civil Service from co-optation and extinction.

He emphasized on the need to populate the Civil Service with courageous and patriotic leaders who will call the bluff of political leaders and be committed to providing clear guidance and direction.

According to Speaker Bagbin, the Service would prioritise development of the skills and competences of its staff through proper monitoring and evaluation of staff performance with consequences for poor performance at all levels.

He pointed out that, if staff are to perform their duties effectively, investment in training and development is non-negotiable. He added that the move ought to be complemented with the appropriate tools, working conditions and resources to enable the staff to deliver quality services and to improve upon productivity.

Furthermore, he said, the Service should consider an accelerated adoption of innovation and technology in its work processes to enhance productivity and competitiveness, and to facilitate access to information.

He admonished that, consideration should be given to creating a supportive environment for the staff; an environment where staff feel valued and appreciated; where they feel empowered to do their jobs effectively, and where there is a culture of honesty and truthfulness.

Rt. Hon. Alban Bagbin, congratulated the leadership and staff of the Civil Service, particularly, the 2022 Awardees, for their hard work and dedication.

He called on leaders to always ensure the Awardees celebrate with joy, to inspire and motivate current and future Civil Servants to continue to sacrifice and to strive for excellence in their work with hope of a better future. With such real celebration, we could together reset our economy and make Ghana a better place to live, he concluded.

The 2022 Awards Ceremony saw over eighty (80) Civil Service staff from the various Ministries and Departments in the Professional and sub-Professional class awarded for different categories such as: Hard work and Dedicated Service; Outstanding Leadership; Excellent Customer Service; Punctuality and Dedicated Service; Professionalism; Creativity and Innovation; Dedication and Commitment; Dedication to Duty; Integrity and Hard work; Dedication and Hard work; Commitment and Dedicated Service; Hard work and Dedication to Team work; Commitment and Integrity; and Dedication to Team work.

Also, Chief Directors, Directors and Heads of Departments/Institutions and Head of Civil Service Special Awards were conferred on individuals who distinguished themselves from their peers in the 2022 Performance year.

Mr. Kwesi Armo-Himbson of the Ministry of Fisheries and Aquaculture Development was adjudged the Best Performed Chief Director for the 2022 Civil Service Awards Ceremony out of the overall sixteen (16) Chief Directors awarded.