Changing Mindsets Fundamental to Transformed Public Service in Africa

Addis Ababa, June 22, 2025 (ENA) -- Participants of the 10th Africa Public Service Day emphasized urgent need for strengthening the competency of civil servants and changing mindsets to transform public service sector in the continent.

The 10th Africa Public Service Day has continued for the second day in Addis Ababa under the theme,” Enhancing the Agility and Resilience of Public Institutions to Achieve Equitable Governance and Rapidly Address Historical Service Delivery”.

 

African Pear Review Mechanism (APRM) Continental Governance Officer, Sara Hamouda said that strengthening the competency of African civil servants would help to transform public service sector in the continent.

The public service sector should also be institutionalized to promote democratic values, human rights, justice and rule of law, she added.

 

According to her, this can be achieved through promotion of professional public sector workforce, strategic human resource management and leadership development and training of civil servants.

Results-based and financial management and control, efficient and fair revenue administration and investment in e-government are also crucial to enhance competencies of civil servants, she added

Sustaining trainings across the continent and national levels are vital to meet the civil servants expectation in a rapidly transformative world, she stressed. 

On her part, Inter-Regional Advisor for United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA) Division for Public Institutions and Digital Government (DPIDG), Christina Rodriguez-Acosta emphasized the need for changing mindsets of civil servants to promote effective institutions for sustainable development in the continent.

 

Governments in Africa are faced with challenges of far-reaching and higher quality services with less resource and increased holistic capacities as well as accountable and effective delivery of services to respond to citizens’ increased demand for enhanced participation, she added.

In this regard, mindset is the foundation for a transformed public service as it can promote institutional effectiveness in support of integration, sound policy making, transformative digital change, among others, while promoting transparency, integrity and answerability, she noted.

She elaborated that public servants need to make decisions in the face of uncertainty while being able to legitimize these decisions; set out a bold course of action while adapting to and improving for unforeseen situations; and explore new possible futures while focusing on outcomes and committing to real world effects.

Public servants need to also keep the big picture in mind—i.e. considering citizens’ needs and be reflective and critical in taking actions, he stressed.