Windhoek
The Minister of Information and Communication Technology, Tjikero Tweya, yesterday launched the ministry’s Customer Service Charter that promises to enhance service to meet the needs and expectations of citizens.
“The Customer Service Charter has been developed to summarise our customer service commitment to you, our customers. The charter lets you know what kind of service you can expect from us, and what to do if you feel those expectations haven’t been met. We’re committed to providing high standards of customer service. We start with listening and finding out what is important to you,” stated Tweya.
He said the strategy, charter and standards have been shaped through consultation with various ministries. It was compiled by staff of the Ministry of Information and Communication Technology (MICT).
He informed the media that in 1997 the government launched the first ever general principles of the Public Service Charter in line with the African Charter on the values and principles of the public service.
He said the principles guide the way every public servant works and include clear standards of service that a customer can reasonably expect.
Tweya said the charter is a tool guide to help enhance service delivery to the public and will regulate the partnership between citizens, the ministry and its employees in efforts to enhance productivity and fast-track service delivery, consistent with service standards that respond to the needs and aspirations of citizens. He said the charter is a social contract and a commitment between the ministry, direct stakeholders and citizens.
“The charter also sets out roles and responsibilities of the respective directorates and divisions of the ministry with a view to help improve productivity, and enhance and fast-track the delivery of service,” he said.
The charter furthermore provides a feedback mechanism that will allow the public to compliment or raise complaints about the conduct and attitudes of ministry employees and the quality, timeliness and efficacy of the services they provide.
The charter highlights the mandate of the ministry to lay a foundation for the accelerated use and development of ICT in Namibia and coordinate information management within government.
Tweya said every government office, ministry and agency is required to have a customer service charter, which is developed by taking into account the African Charter and Namibian Public Service Charter. The information ministry has developed five charters, one for the ministry, one for each three ministerial directorates and one for the division.
He said in order to ensure the developed charters reach their target audience, the ministry developed a responsive Charter Distribution Strategy, which is based on a situational analysis which assessed the opportunities the charters present to the ministry.
The charter Distribution Strategy will be effective from tomorrow.