GIMPA to build capacities of Somaliland civil servants 

By Kodjo Adams

Accra, Aug. 16, GNA- Professor Samuel Kwaku Bonsu, the Rector, Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA), says the Institute will organise a training programme for selected senior officials from Somaliland to enhance their knowledge in civil service practice. 

The programme would strengthen the capabilities of the beneficiaries to improve civil service management at the institutional, organizational and individual levels.  

Prof Bonsu said this in Accra when the leadership of GIMPA received a 10-member delegation from the Somaliland Civil Service Institute and various heads of institutions to explore training opportunities with GIMPA. 

The Rector said GIMPA had been working with the officials from Somaliland since 2020 to help them to develop the capacities of their civil servants. 

“The Somaliland officials are in GIMPA to concretize some of the things we have been discussing over the years. We have visited them on a number of occasions to monitor their operations and this is the first time they are visiting us,” he said. 

He said, “We will synthesize the various issues we have been discussing and chart a path in building and strengthening their capacities to improve public service delivery.” 

Prof Bonsu stated that Somaliland would meet with the leadership of Ghana’s various public sectors for discussions and learn from how they operate their system in the public sector. 

He said GIMPA would continue to visit Somaliland and monitor their activities and proffer the necessary directions in restructuring their public sector training institutions. 

Somaliland in partnership with the World Bank initiated the Civil Service Strengthening Project and contracted GIMPA to support human resource and institutional capacity improvement in targeted government Ministries Departments and Agencies.  

As part of the project, the Consultancy Directorate of GIMPA conducted an institutional capacity assessment of the Civil Service Institute to identify and support measures to overcome gaps, weaknesses and challenges. 

GIMPA also designed and developed short-term training courses on common management functions, and for the civil service administrative policies, rules and procedures for Somaliland civil servants. 

It designed and developed long-term training courses on human resource management, planning and policy, and public financial management for Somaliland civil service, conducted quality assurance capacity training, training on curriculum development and quality assurance assessment of Civil Service Institute. 

Mr Ahmed Yusuf Dirir, the Auditor General of the Republic of Somaliland said GIMPA was elected for the collaboration based on the Institute’s expertise and experience in the field of training quality public servants. 

The Somaliland Civil Service Institute established in 2005, currently offers one-year diploma and degree programs.  

Mr Dirir said the expertise from GIMPA was expected to address some of the challenges faced by the Somaliland government in the field of public sector services. 

GNA