Permanent secretaries of Government ministries yesterday signed performance contracts for next year, the start of a new system where those managing the public service are now expected to perform to defined areas in line with key reforms for the public sector.
This new system and the electronic-enabled Whole of
Government Performance Management System were inaugurated by President
Mnangagwa at State House yesterday, as a major step forward in ensuring that
the public sector is efficiently and effectively managed.
Yesterday’s ceremony was attended by Vice President
Constantino Chiwenga, Vice President Kembo Mohadi, the permanent secretaries
from the 21 ministries, Cabinet ministers and other senior Government
officials.
In his keynote address, President Mnangagwa said the launch
was a historic milestone coming on the backdrop of the success of the
Transitional Stabilisation Programme (TSP) and the implementation of the
National Development Strategy 1.
The stress is on what needs to be achieved, expected levels
of achievement, timelines and reporting modalities.
The contracts signed by the permanent secretaries yesterday
set out for each ministry the key deliverables for performance next year and
include each ministry’s vision, mission, budget allocated for next year, key
result areas, ministry national outcomes, ministry sector outcomes, and
ministry programmes.
The contracts define tasks so that management can perform
them systematically, purposefully and with reasonable probability of
achievement, thereby making it possible to measure the performance of an
institution, a manager and Government.
President Mnangagwa said the launch was an important step
in the Government’s quest to achieve targets under Vision 2030.
“This system is envisaged to result in robust public sector
institutions and a leadership that is results focused.
“As I have said, the Second Republic is about action and
results and all our activities should be streamlined accordingly to make
positive and lasting impacts for the growth of our economy and overall improved
quality of life for our people”.
The Constitution obligated the State to adopt and implement
policies and legislation to develop efficiency, competence, accountability,
transparency and personal integrity, among other virtues, at every level of
Government.
Government was therefore implementing various reforms to
strengthen performance management throughout the public sector.
“Bureaucracy and old ways of doing business and resolving
problems have no place under the Second Republic. To that end, I have put in
place coordination architecture at the centre of Government. This comprise
three apex agencies, which are the Office of the President and Cabinet, the
Public Service Commission and the Ministry of Finance and Economic
Development,” he said.
Under the architecture, Chief Secretary to the President
and Cabinet Dr Misheck Sibanda will provide policy and strategic direction to
the entire Government machinery, PSC chairman Dr Vincent Hungwe will ensure
that the requisite human resources strategy to achieve Vision 2030 is in place,
and permanent secretary for Finance and Economic Development Mr George
Guvamatanga will provide the necessary resources to execute NDS1 in line with
programme-based budgeting and fiscal policy provisions.
President Mnangagwa said Government expected the signing of
performance contracts to improve efficiency in service delivery to the public
by holding office holders to account, ensuring that performance and results
link with expectations, increasing customer satisfaction with Government
services, improving efficiency and performance in resource allocation, and
inculcating a performance and results oriented culture.
Performance contracts will be extended to heads of
parastatals and State-owned Enterprises and local authorities, in line with the
devolution agenda that seeks to promote provincial economies, and eventually
even to Cabinet ministers.
The President said the performance contracts would be
uploaded onto the Whole of Government Performance Management System, which has
been put in place to allow e-monitoring and evaluation.
“In all these processes, the active participation of the
citizenry and other stakeholders will be taken into account as the overall
performance rating of each individual permanent secretary will also incorporate
the inputs from the public,” said President Mnangagwa.
He implored ministries to collaborate with institutions of
higher learning to incorporate and support innovations they make, while public
servants must serve the people, adding that there was no room for pompous and
proud managers.
In his remarks, VP Chiwenga said the signing of the
performance contracts would ensure that the shortfalls and attitudes that
affected service delivery were eliminated. The contracts would ensure effective
implementation of NDS1.
VP Mohadi said the contracts were an indication of the
Second Republic’s commitment to improve people’s livelihoods through holding
Permanent Secretaries to account.
He told the permanent secretaries that Government had
entrusted them to deliver and warned that going forward, it would no longer be
business as usual.
Finance Minister Professor Mthuli Ncube said performance
was a key component of modern governance as governments were no longer judged
on policy pronouncements alone, but tangible results like road networks, hospitals
and schools, among others. Herald
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