Key to success of NEPAD is Public Service

"African civil servants are at the heart of the effort to improve transparency and good governance."

Commonwealth Secretary-General Don McKinnon has said that the African public service is key to the success of the New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD) and that civil servants should take the lead in implementing NEPAD's principles for growth. Speaking at the launch of a three-day Commonwealth Consultative Meeting on NEPAD and the Role of the African Public Service on 22 June 2004, organised by the Governance and Institutional Development Division of the Commonwealth Secretariat, the Secretary-General stated: "African civil servants are at the heart of the effort to improve transparency and good governance. With such a major role to play, African public services must improve efficiency, deliver on better programming, and more effective implementation is required." 

Mr McKinnon said that NEPAD represents the boldest vision yet by Africans to tackle the challenges facing the continent and drive their own development. 

 "It is an initiative owned by the African people and driven by the African people. NEPAD is also a basis for partnerships for countries outside Africa. Thanks to contributions from G8 and the EU, increased capital flows are being directed towards the African continent."
 

The Secretary-General commented that the four pillars of NEPAD -- peace and security; democracy and good governance; regional co-operation and integration; and capacity-building -- parallel the Millennium Development Goals and the goals of the Commonwealth.
 

'the Secretariat is ready to share and transfer whatever knowledge it has gained in improving public service efficiency...'

"There is a growing partnership between NEPAD and the Commonwealth. Indeed at their meeting in Abuja, Nigeria in December 2003, Commonwealth Heads of Government reaffirmed their strong support for NEPAD. They requested the Commonwealth Secretariat to bring its various programmes in Africa within the NEPAD framework and strengthen its partnership with NEPAD. I've had meetings with Professor Wiseman Nkhulu, Chairman of the NEPAD Secretariat, to discuss issues and programmes of mutual interest and benefit to African member states. Following on from this, I have personally written to all G8 leaders to encourage them to support the African countries in advancing the goals of NEPAD."  

Mr McKinnon expressed hope that this first Commonwealth consultation with the African public service will pave the way for closer collaboration and engagement in advancing the NEPAD agenda by focusing on one of the key areas of the Commonwealth Secretariat's mandate, which is reform and development of the public sector across the Commonwealth. 

Deputy Secretary-General Winston Cox said that the Secretariat is ready to share and transfer whatever knowledge it has gained in improving public service efficiency, so that the benefits of an efficient public service can have a positive impact on poverty eradication and sustainable socio-economic development. 

Professor Victor Ayeni, Director of the Governance and Institutional Development Division, reiterated the important need for African countries to align ongoing public sector reforms with the NEPAD agenda and that the Secretariat will continue to give high priority to assisting countries in this regard.