Ghana, France sign 1.5 million Euros for
public sector reforms
Accra, Dec. 11, GNA – Ghana and France on Monday
signed a 1.5 million Euro agreement in support
of the Public Sector Reform Programmes for the
next three years.
The agreement, which spans 2007-2009, would
focus on three priority areas of training, human
resource management and Subvented Agencies
reform.
Professor George Gyan-Baffour, Deputy Minister
of Finance and Economic Planning, signed for
Ghana while Mr Philippe Etienne,
Director-General of French Cooperation and
Development, initialled for France.
Prof. Gyan-Baffour said the main objective of
the French support was to strengthen the
capacity of Government for an effective
implementation of the Public Sector Reform
Programme.
Under training, the funds would be used to
strengthen the capacity of the Ghana Institute
of Management and Public Administration, the
Government School of Accountancy and support
secretarial staff training within the Civil
Service.
There would also be strengthening of the
statistical capacity of the Office of the Head
of the Civil Service, developing a framework of
professions, postings and missions in the civil
service and to implement provisional human
resource management.
Prof. Gyan-Baffour said Subvented Agencies would
also be supported to implement the new public
management techniques, support for payroll
management and financial and accounting
management reform.
Dr Paa Kwesi Nduom, Minister of Public Sector
Reform, said the funds would be used to
strengthen internal capacity to enable the
Public Service to effectively complement the
role of the private sector in economic
development.
He said the agreement was an indication of the
tireless effort the Government was making to
find resources to develop the country.
Mr Etienne said training of Civil Servants at
the best standards was crucial in the face of
competition in the global environment, which
required technical decisions and adequate public
policies.
Besides, the Civil and Public Services must also
compete with the private sector to keep the best
people and attract the best students.
He said it was necessary to offer Civil Servants
guarantees about their career by trying to give
more to those, who worked more and better as
well as give them career opportunities.
Mr Pierre Jacquemot, French Ambassador to Ghana,
said this year was a good one for the two
countries in Ghana on account of the bilateral
cooperation between them.
The French Government has so far committed over
100 million Euros to various projects in the
areas of infrastructural, community-based rural
development projects and water and sanitation in
northern Ghana, among other programmes.
GNA
