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Roundup: Effective public service vital for achieving Agenda 2063: Namibia's PM

Xinhua, June 22, 2016 Adjust font size:

Namibia's Prime Minister Saara Kuugongelwa-Amadhila said Wednesday that a strong and effective public service is vital to achieving the aspirations of Agenda 2063.

In her keynote address at the 2016 Africa Public Service Day (APSD) celebrations at Ongwediva (about 700 kilometers from Windhoek), Kuugongelwa-Amadhila said public administration systems and institutions are also essential in promoting good and democratic governance.

The 2016 APSD celebration is enriching an important social issue in the Namibian society, which is embedded in the Main Theme of 2016 APSD celebration, namely "Public Governance for Inclusive Growth: Towards the Africa we want ".

Africa Public Service Day is an entrenched annual event in the African Union calendar, to recognize the value and virtue of service to the community.

The four-day event celebrates the value and virtue of service to the community, and highlights the contribution that public services throughout the country can and should make to development, democracy and peace.

The initiative is part of the continental strategy to boost public administration programs, public sector performance and good governance.

"We must do all we can to support our country in building up and revitalizing their public service capacities," she said.

She added that countries should cut through red tape and corruption through citizen centricity, process simplification and reengineering and greater use of ICT.

This should be done, she further said, calling for a more coordinated approach to strengthen public governance in pursuit of inclusive growth objectives.

According to Kuugongelwa-Amadhila, inclusive growth is all about changing the rules so that more people can contribute to and benefit from economic growth.

"Therefore, policy making for inclusive growth must align voice, design, delivery and accountability for joint outcomes," she said.

Kuugongelwa-Amadhila also said slow growth, high unemployment and widening inequalities have placed inclusive growth at the heart of the policy debate in many parts of the world.

In Namibia, for example, she said the benefits of economic growth are absorbed by the wealthiest members of our society.

"Therefore, core to the inclusive growth debate is the ability of our government to put in place policies that deliver stronger economic growth together with better sharing of the benefits of increased prosperity among social groups," she said.

These benefits, she further said, should go beyond income to include the different dimensions that matter for societal well-being, not least jobs, education and health. Endit