Staff Reporter
THE Public Service Commission of Namibia is exploring ways to implement citizen-centric public services while advancing digital transformation in the public sector to improve efficiency and uphold ethical standards.
This was recently highlighted by Salmaan Jacob, the commission’s chairman, at a briefing on public sector issues. Jacob explained that the focus on citizen-centric public services stems from the reality that, although public institutions often celebrate their achievements in service delivery, some members of the public still do not benefit.
“They (institutions) will say, ‘We performed so well this particular year that we made these savings, or we did this or that’, and sometimes performance awards are given. But if you go down to the people, you’ll see that service delivery did not reach them,” he said.
For this reason, he emphasised the importance of regular meetings with the public to ensure services reach the intended communities and address their needs.
“So, it is important for us to start going out and meeting the very same people that we want to deliver service to, and hear from them what their needs are, so that when we implement our policies, they should align with their wishes and aspirations,” Jacob said.
Besides prioritising citizen-centric service delivery, he added that the Public Service Commission is also focused on transitioning the public sector to digital systems, enhancing efficiency and upholding ethical standards, particularly in the recruitment process.
“Recruitment processes and other processes we embark upon should be done above board. Ethical issues should be taken into consideration. We must ensure that the current way in which recruitment takes place, where time and again people feel justice has not been done and that the recruitment process may have favoured some over others, becomes a thing of the past as we introduce new technologies,” Jacob added.
