By Rosemary Wayo, GNA
Tamale, Sept 15, GNA – Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives (MMDCEs) and Coordinating Directors in Northern Ghana have been sensitised on the Local Government Service’s (LGS) newly developed client service operational manual.
The workshop, which took place in Tamale, engaged the officers on the reforms of the newly developed manual to seek their support and commitment towards its implementation across the country.
It was an initiative of the Office of the Head of Local Government Service (OHLGS) and supported by the Ghana Secondary Cities Support Programme (GSCSP).
The manual spelt out the standardised procedures to guide Client Service Officers (CSOs) to manage clients across institutions within the LGS.
Public Administration experts took the participants through the various aspects of the manual.
Dr Nana Ato Arthur, Head of Service at the LGS, addressing participants at the workshop, said efforts to establish a functional client service in the LGS dated back to 2005 under the Public Sector Reform Programme (PSRR), which led to the establishment of functional Client Service Units (CSUs) in the LGS.
He said the current CSUs in the LGS were plagued with persistent challenges such as untrained human resources, ad-hoc designation of staff, poor office logistics, lack of clearly laid out operational procedures and reporting relationships for which the LGS sought to address with the sensitisation programme.
He stated that the LGS, through the newly developed operational manual, had developed systems, structures and standardised procedures to carry out capacity building activities for CSOs towards the improvement and streamlining the operations of CSUs.
He said the service sought to establish the client service as a class in the LGS with a clear career path, intended to attract officers with the requisite qualifications, permanently into the unit.
Mr Baah Tetteh, Principal Engineer at OHLGS, said the workshop was the beginning of roll outs targeted at educating the Management of Local Government on client service system to enable them lead the reform.
He noted that the training included streamlining client service management such that client experiences were standardised across districts.
He said, “Client service units are already in place but the challenge has been the variation in client experiences and duration for redresses, and that is what this workshop seeks to address.”
Madam Pokoo Aikins, Director, Cabinet Secretariat at the Office of the President, said service delivery was key to the relationship between citizens and Assemblies, hence the move to sensitise officers on the manual.
Hajia Zuweiratu Mada Nashiru, District Chief Executive for Chereponi, said the workshop was insightful and could effect positive changes in service delivery in the districts if officers practicalised given policies.
She stated that although District Assemblies were faced with challenges, officers were poised to deliver quality services with available resources.
GNA