Some institutions of the Ethiopian public sector are currently registering dramatical changes in delivering appropriate services for customers. Of which, the Ministry of Revenue and Customs and the Attorney General are among the top public institutions which have brought about real changes in service delivery.
The country’s reform measures will continually be reshaped by a combination of factors: a growing working population and the need for better service.
There is also increasing demand for greater transparency and accountability for public funds. These challenges will be reduced by advancing modern technologies and tackling the economic and political uncertainty. In a shifting social and economic environment, all these factors will have serious consequences for public sector organizations.
The public sector is as complex as it is diverse and it is not the same in any two organizations. What is considered to be part of the public sector often varies from one organization to another. For example, in some countries like Ethiopia, healthcare service is a public and private sectors function.
The other drivers in the revenue are linked to the availability of public services and the opportunity, created by advances in technology, to transform public services to be more citizen-focused.
Collectively, they are making the public sector environment fluid and forcing it to innovate and evolve.
Given the interconnectedness of economic growth and the stability of national revenue bases it is predictable that this should be ranked in the top level. Stable national revenue bases are considered a prerequisite for the economic well-being of countries, as this stability affects governments’ ability to provide public services.
Commonly, the government revenues should also be derived from direct taxes paid by households mainly personal income tax and corporations; and indirect taxes, social
contributions and revenues from state-owned assets and enterprises.
These days, most public sector leaders and managers have been accustomed to a period of struggling economic growth, but now moving rapidly with the leadership of Prime Minister Dr. Abiy Ahmed. There is a real change as to ensuring the country is entering a new phase where high growth will become the norm.
The government needs to engage in enabling the economic environment, political landscape; societal changes put significant impact on most of the public sector. Indeed, these will invariably impact the level of public services required.
On the other hand, the public service delivery can be brought up through increased collaboration with the private sector and other pertinent stakeholders. These create an opportunity to rethink existing public service delivery models but, the risks associated must be managed.
Each and every institution might have its own model of transformation from old to modern stages of development. That is why such risks will need careful management to ensure public revenues must be used effectively, efficiently and economically.
To be fully effective, the public sector professionals will need to develop new skills. At the foundation, they will need to have good professional and skilled manpower with a strong ethical core running through all their professional interactions. They must exercise great care and judgment, fully considering all services provided by the government institutions have a reverse benefit to the society, like building infrastructure, and providing adequate public services.
In sum, the changes observed in the above public institutions must be reiterated in other service delivery institutions by taking the reform to the ground so as to bring notable inclusive changes to the country. To make this happen, the government, the politicians, scholars and all other pertinent stake holders must participate in achieving the reform at their respective institutions.
The Ethiopian Herald February 23/2011
