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Permanent secretaries sign performance agreements

2015-08-12  Staff Report 2

Permanent secretaries sign performance agreements
Windhoek The Deputy Minister in the Office of the Prime Minister, Christine //Hoebes, says government will ensure that all government officials from top to bottom are held accountable for their actions. She said all government officials at regional and local authority level will be obliged, not only to perform, but to deliver in line with agreed performance indicators as set out in national strategic documents, such as Vision 2030, which is implemented through the National Development Plans, strategic plans and annual management plans. //Hoebes was speaking on Monday at the signing ceremony of performance agreements at State House, where eight permanent secretaries signed performance agreements that will be evaluated every six months over the next five years. She said it is incumbent upon public servants that, while building on work already done, they focus more closely on outcomes and impact. “To do that we need to ensure that we develop a high performance culture and high output in the public service, which is currently lacking,” //Hoebes elaborated. She says the public service, as the machinery and conveyer belt for delivering services to citizens, needs to be reformed to become more efficient and effective. “Public servants’ actions and attitudes need to be aligned to the strategic agenda proposed by the current administration. Poor performance and the non-implementation of planned government programmes and projects, have led to funds returned to Treasury, thereby deliberately denying services to the intended recipients,” //Hoebes said. She informed the permanent secretaries that under-performance of offices, ministries and agencies, including substandard and unbecoming behaviour by public officials, must become a thing of the past. “This means that the public service in this regard requires a total paradigm shift and change-management, which also requires strong leadership,” she stated. She further said government wants – through performance management systems – to move the focus away from activities towards concentrating on managing processes with a view to achieving definite outcomes. “Because we want the citizens to feel the impact of our policies, programmes, and projects, it is our sincere hope that with the operationalisation of the performance management system for the public service of Namibia, employees in the public sector will be working towards the achievement of clearly-defined objectives and specific measurable targets,” she said.
2015-08-12  Staff Report 2

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