In a few months IMANI Centre for Policy & Education will be releasing the latest edition of our flagship Inspirational Sector Leadership Awards (IPSLA). As usual IMANI will use this platform to acknowledge the champions of best practices within the public sector space and identify the gaps that must be filled to ensure the highest standards of public service delivery in Ghana. 

 In the meantime have a look at some legacy articles from our previous IPSLA events.  

IPSLA 2010

“…When all was said and done, our team and external consultants settled on the following inspirational leaders of 5 promising state institutions.

Kwesi Bekoe Amissah-Arthur, Governor of the Bank of Ghana

The Governor impressed us with his conduct of the affairs of the Monetary Policy Committee in particular, though there is evidence that other aspects of the Bank’s work, such as banking inspection, have also improved. Despite pressure from political forces to go beyond moral suasion in compelling the banks to reduce interest rates, the Governor has been unwavering in going where the evidence leads. Diplomatically, he has rebuked the government to pay the contractors and stop dithering, since this has an effect on non-performing loans in the system, and by extension lending rates. In the words of Friedman, “inflation everywhere is a monetary phenomenon”. What this quip means in this context is that the Governor’s conduct of monetary policy has more than contributed to the era of stable inflation and the stable national currency. His attitude to his duties has helped stem the loss of investor confidence that marked the early months of 2009. He may be dour, but only in a manner quite becoming of a guy who has his fingers on the nation’s purse strings.

Alfred Oko Vanderpuije, Chief Executive of the Accra Metropolitan Assembly

After a number of false starts, the Mayor quickly settled into the hot seat of managing the affairs of the country’s most politically sensitive city. We were unimpressed in the early months of his administration, especially during the botched decongestion exercise, and we still have a few unresolved policy differences with him about the right approach to urban “planning”. The jury is also still out on his sanitation policy, which some have interpreted as a “get Zoomlion” strategy, and also on his outdoor advertising directives. But the Mayor is fast learning to focus the energies of the assembly on the big picture. His symbolic raids on government agencies in pursuit of property rates arrears and his optimistic courting of Jeffrey Sachs’ Millennium City initiative are all testimony to a determination to “transform” how city management is done in Ghana. He has refrained from involving himself in petty partisan squabbles and maintained a balanced posture with respect to Accra’s many chieftaincy and other sectarian faultlines. He wants greater devolution of power from the central government to the towns and regions, and he has even begun developing investment plans for some of the most challenging sectors under his jurisdiction. The results are yet to change the fortunes of the city, but we were inspired by his energy and commitment.

Akwasi Osei, Chief Psychiatrist, Accra Psychiatric Hospital

For many years, the Chief Psychiatrist was almost a lone crusader for mental health policy reforms in this country. Today, he has been joined by a number of non-governmental organisations and won the attention of the President. Some have faulted his professional diplomacy skills, following persistent falling outs with the sector Minister. But what the Chief Psychiatrist lacks in negotiation skills, he more than makes up for it with relentless focus, determination and dedication. His knowledge of psychiatric issues and the policy environment is encyclopaedic, even daunting. He has also shown that he has a streak of positive opportunism in him. Seizing on the Anas Aremeyaw exposes, rather than feel indicted by it, he has forced mental health issues up the media’s priority list for the health sector, bringing into sharp focus such matters as alcohol regulation, substance abuse, and community-based care. And by reminding all of us that there is one psychiatrist for every 2 million Ghanaians, Akwasi Osei has changed the terms of the debate. He isn’t bringing a neglected issue to our attention; he is exposing the hollowness of our Ghanaian civilisation.

The Commissioners of the Commission for Human Rights & Administrative Justice

CHRAJ’s managers never hide from the fact that there is a host of human rights issues across the breadth and depth of this country that their limited resources and personnel prevent them from even remotely addressing. But there has never been a doubt about the organisation’s direction. This year, they have navigated political controversy and militant cynicism, and come out with their reputation intact. They have been vocal in urging greater speed in prisons reforms, and even louder in their denunciation of the mob mentality that still dogs nominally liberal-democratic Ghana. They have firmly planted the issue of disability rights in the labour reform agenda of Ghana. When “decongestion” became a lazy excuse for haphazard demolition activities, CHRAJ descended upon municipal authorities, giving much impetus to public interest activists who took to the Law Courts to redress the excesses of these so-called “urban planning” programs. CHRAJ has never missed an opportunity this year to paint for all of us what a “decent and humane society” looks like.

The Frontline Staff of the National Disaster Management Organisation

NADMO failed to take major steps towards achieving the organisation’s own objective of transforming into a comprehensive risk preventive system for the country from its current status as a disaster response agency. But the organisation’s field staff need to be commended for their valiant efforts this year in responding to multiple incidents, predominantly flooding-related, across the country. Lack of policy robustness notwithstanding, these underpaid personnel responded quite creditably to tragedies across the length and breadth of our nation, from the marshy banks of the Volta to the arid grasslands of the Savannah. Many risked their lives, as they wrestled against the elements, working without the right equipment and protective gear. Their actions are the stuff of which genuine patriotism is made, and not the bombastic rhetoric of the Accra elite.

IPSLA 2012

So, distinguished readers, there you have it: the 2012 Top 5 Most Inspirational Public Sector Leaders.

1. Professor Joshua Alabi, Vice Chancellor, University of Professional Studies, Accra (UPSA)

Barely a year ago, Parliament passed the University of Professional Studies Act. What was then the Institute of Professional Studies was overnight admitted into the prestigious ranks of the country’s public universities.

This could have been the highlight of Professor Alabi’s tenure at the Institute. He had been appointed three and a half years prior to the change of status, and had been responsible for shepherding the process past sceptical Parliamentarians from all sides of the political divide worried about the ‘lack of focus on core mandate’ that has become the bane of many of Ghana’s public universities.

But Professor Alabi, whose first term of office came to an end in January of this year, can point to more than one highlight in his term. Having worked for about two decades prior to his appointment to the position of Rector, he demonstrated very early on a keen eye for spotting the institute’s assets and unique value propositions. As a specialist school in accounting and management, he immediately realised that the institute had a competitive edge over the traditional science and humanities universities in Ghana that were busy piling up courses in business disciplines. He charged into the business education space with a vengeance, investing appropriately in facilities and adjunct faculty to capture a new customer base, those eager to set up on their own. This freed the University from the excessive reliance on the pool of public servants looking for promotion, a pool fiercely targeted by the likes of Legon and GIMPA.

UPSA’s post-graduate program is steadily rising in stature, and more courses are passing successfully under the sharp scalpel of the National Accreditation Board. This year, IMANI believes that Professor Joshua Alabi deserves the top spot in its public sector rankings for his quiet, sturdy, and persistent focus on utilising the resources of UPS with a shrewd emphasis on returns and a long-term goal of sustainable excellence. Given the fiscal recklessness we have seen in parts of the public sector this year, this attitude is worth celebrating.

There is of course more to do at UPSA. Curriculum design could receive more attention. Institutional governance could do with a facelift. Student welfare and alumni relations can still be improved, but all in all, comparing the present with what Professor Alabi came to meet, we can confidently applaud him for remarkable leadership in the face of general constraints.

2. The Graphic Communications Group

With its household-name brands, such as the Daily Graphic and the Weekend Mirror, the Graphic Communications Group has long been a prominent fixture of the country’s media landscape. But rarely have Ghanaians paused to consider the management and systems excellence responsible for the staying power of these publications.

Despite fierce competition in the heavily depressed packaging industry in Ghana, Graphic Packaging, the Group’s industrial arm, managed to reduce year on year losses by over 90% during the last financial year for which independently audited results are available.

Graphic Communications has shown consistently that it has one of the most advanced internal controls and preventive structures among corporate organisations in the country by regularly presenting robust accounts to internal and external auditors. For a public corporation, this dedication to world-class corporate governance is remarkable, and certainly commendable. For this reason the Group takes second spot on our 2012 rankings.

3. Dr. Kofi Mbiah, Chief Executive, Ghana Shippers Authority (GSA)

Given all the hassle Ghanaians go through at our ports due to arbitrary and chaotic clearance procedures, despite years of costly IT-based and other reforms, it will come to some as a surprise that the winner of the third slot on our 2012 Public Sector rankings is someone from the country’s maritime leadership.

But it is precisely because we want to fix the spotlight on these unacceptable conditions at our ports – the corruption, inefficiency, arbitrariness, abuse of discretion, weak systems, etc. – that we want to acknowledge Dr. Kofi Mbiah as one of the few individuals working to bring some decency into maritime trade affairs in this country.

While the GSA does not play a major role in the more chaotic part of the sector: the goods clearance process, since it is primarily an executive agency representing the interests of cargo handlers and shippers, nevertheless, the GSA’s drive, under Dr. Mbiah’s leadership, to introduce technical and service quality standards stands out like a beacon on the shores of troubled waters.

4. The Driver & Vehicles Licensing Authority

The DVLA wins the fourth spot in this year’s rankings primarily because of success in one major reform: the outsourcing of some of the vehicle assessment and testing processes to more efficient external garages, a development that has in no mean fashion eased the horrendous burden placed on motorists in this country in complying with our rickety road traffic regulations.

The current DVLA deserves to be acknowledged for taking this bold step after years of foot-dragging at the agency on outsourcing matters. A lot remains to be done to improve those functions that the agency still performs, such as license plate registration. Motorists cannot continue to be the butt of weak service standards.

But the successful outsourcing effort shows clearly what can be done when public sector activities are professionalised. The hope in highlighting this here is that other agencies, such as the Passport Office, will take note.

5. The Frontline Personnel of the Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS)

Despite persisting weaknesses in Ghana’s fire management system, frontline staff of the Ghana Fire Service continues to risk their lives daily to fight the infernos raging across Ghana in sharp succession.

With limited gear and equipment, personnel of the Ghana National Fire Service have increasingly shown a regimental discipline in taking on mighty blazes, all the more difficult to manage because of the tropical heat.

Unlike was the case some years ago, response times are almost within acceptable limits for a good proportion of incidents reported. Though GNFS’ personnel must still improvise all the time, diligent observers have recorded an impressive improvement in the tactical approach used by personnel in navigating cramped incident sites as well as in locating sources of water, including in some instances even using private water tankers during moments of desperation.

We believe that this recognition will prompt the management of the service to show a better appreciation of the agency’s human resources, including working harder to address deep and festering concerns such as the on-going tussle over plans to relocate the agency from the Interior Ministry to the Local Government Service.

IPSLA 2013

IMANI has for the last four years appraised Ministries, Departments and Agencies of Government (MDAs) with a view of ranking the best 5 MDAs and the worst 5 MDAs according to pre-defined criteria. That process has led to the annual release of IMANI’s Most Inspirational Public Sector Leadership Awards. The 2013 version will be published in next week.

For the year 2013, IMANI’s evaluation team decided to go a step further and also determine other important benchmarks of openness in order to ascertain whether these MDAs were open enough to warrant Ghana’s claim as the gateway to Africa. `

One of the major indicators to that effect has been web presence. Web presence in this direction determines how easy it is to get information about any MDA and its presence on the Internet. Current technological trends and the easy availability of Internet suggest that the first level of engagement any outfit with a service will have with prospective clients will be through the World Wide Web. This will be very easily evidenced by the presence of a website, or a link which will have a brief overview of an agency or ministry’s service profile.

Key Findings

Ministries without Website Presence:

35% of MDAs don’t have a website. A number of MDAs for which information sharing must be a critical component of day to day operations have no web presence, either via websites or social media platforms. Surprisingly, these include very crucial ministries such as the:

• The Ministry of Information
• The Ghana National Fire Service
• The Ministry of Justice and Attorney General

It is quite baffling therefore that the Ministry of Information and Media Relations which is charged with coordinating and disseminating information about the government’s programs has no official presence on online media platforms.

The ministry does not manage an official “Ministry of Information” website, nor does it manage a Facebook page. The only Facebook page identified for the ministry of information seems like an unofficial one and was last updated in 2010. According to the ASK team which responded to our e-mail enquiry about the Ghana Ministry of Information’s website, the http://www.ghana.gov.gh/ web page was given as the official Government of Ghana webpage, and therefore an extension of that of the Ministry.

This webpage however does not have associated social media accounts. In an era where over 1.6 million Ghanaians or 6.4% of the population and counting are on Facebook alone , this is unacceptable.

Other Government agencies with no websites or social media pages :

A) Ministry of Fisheries and Aquaculture Development
B) Ministry of Chieftaincy and Traditional Affairs
C) Ministry of Employment and Labour Relations
D) Ministry of Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation
E) Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources
F) Ministry of Water Resources, Works and Housing

This situation needs immediate remedy, but also in many ways demonstrates how certain key areas of governance require attention. The Ministry of Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation for example should have had some of the most important showcases related to Ghana’s rich unique environment as well as important information that could allow for investment opportunities, but has been neglected.

Ministries like those of Lands and Natural Resources, Employment and Labour Relations, Water Resources, Works and Housing should have had informative platforms as these sectors are seen as pivotal in the economic outlook and attention of the country.

Social Media Presence:

Out of the sample size, only 12.8% of MDAs have Facebook presence. This represents 6 out of the 47 MDAs evaluated.

IPSLA 2014

As we celebrate 10 years of informing people and influencing policies, our own reflection over the contribution of the public sector to Ghana’s development has been one of disappointment as we have witnessed the slowest public reform efforts over the last decade. This has become worse with the incredible amount of brazen scandals within some public institutions. In spite of the overwhelming crisis of confidence, some public institutions are struggling to live up to their mandate and values, hence the need to recognize and applaud them for providing leadership.

So here is our Top 5 Most Inspirational Public Sector Leadership Awardees for 2014:

1. National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA)

Established under the National Health Insurance Act 2003, Act 650, the NHIA has pursued its mandate with passion, save the one time cacophonous and disorderly promise by the current political office holders to make the NHIA survive on a one-time premium payment. With that spineless dream discarded, the NHIA moved on to make swift and effective changes to its operations through the introduction of the biometric health insurance cards in January 2014. Aside its staff working for extended periods of time to register as many persons from all walks of life especially children, the elderly and pregnant women. Public and some private institutions were specially catered for as the NHIA deployed mobile teams to ease congestion at certain registration centres.

Unlike other public agencies, the Authority has a functional website with its mandate and functions well spelt out. Electronic documents on the site are current and relevant. Information about their health providers, district offices and contacts (including call centers) are available as well. However, what the NHIA needs in order to sustain its operations is for piloting the process of taking off relatively well off clients who are able to afford private health care so it can focus resources on providing quality care of the many indigenes in society.

2. Environmental Protection Agency

The Ghana Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is a public agency set up under the EPA Act 490, 1994 with a mandate of formulating environmental policy and making recommendations for the protection of the environment. The EPA has had its fair share of battles with industry and their externalities. However, it has been able to achieve some appreciable measure of success in terms of monitoring environmental activities as well as extending some level of support to the private sector. For instance, the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) in collaboration with the Technical University of Delft, the Netherlands, and Farmerline Limited-Ghana partnered with the EPA and other government agencies to undertake a project aimed at monitoring and collecting data on weather patterns to guide farming activities in Ghana’s cocoa growing areas. The project is to extend support to vegetable and cocoa farmers for effective food production, harvest forecasts, and water resource management..

The EPA has rolled out an energy conservation project. The project, which would be piloted in hotels and other manufacturing companies, would include the installation of energy saving bulbs, shadow sensors, energy saving key cards, biogas among other equipment that would reduce the cost of energy to between 30 to 40 per cent. The energy saved would in turn be put back on the national grid to benefit industries and reduce the load shedding in the country. Apart from this, the EPA is working closely with hotels in particular and other manufacturing companies to put waste generated by their businesses into a biogas system to help reduce their energy consumption. The EPA can do more. We would like to see it extend its operations to all hospitals, clinics and health posts in the country by working with the private sector to help dispose off biomedical waste in a safe and efficient manner.

3. Ghana Shippers Authority (GSA)

The GSA is living up to its official expectations to effectively manage the demand side of shipping with a view to protecting and promoting the interests of Ghanaian shippers, by employing innovation in its practice and initiatives to provide cutting edge shipper services that meet the dynamics of the maritime industry.

The GSA has over the years ensured that the Ghanaian shipper has real time, safe and reliable delivery of import and export cargoes by all modes of transport in the most cost – effective manner. The GSA has enhanced its competitive edge through its continual cooperation and collaboration with private sector organizations and advocacy firms to upgrade the knowledge of the shipping public and other industry – related players through workshops and seminars.

The GSA has played a significant role in the payment of competitive freight rates and other related ancillary charges through continued effective monitoring and negotiations. The GSA in its quest to ensure a level playing field for competition has instituted operational parameters under which providers and consumers of shipper services can operate.

The Authority has also initiated projects that are aimed at infrastructural expansions and upgrades to address developmental and technological changes in the maritime industry. The Authority has been effective in its pursuit of excellence in ensuring optimum deregulation and liberalization of shipping services in the country. However, the GSA could extend its finer leadership qualities to the leadership of the Ports, Harbours and Customs in order to rid itself of corruption. It is disheartening to hear that due to the many corrupt acts at our ports and harbours, clients in inland countries are diverting most of their cargo away from our ports to neighbouring Ivory Coast and Togo. Clearly the Presidential Task Force on checking corruption at the ports and harbours have done very little to help.

4. Registrar General’s Department

The mandate of the Registrar General’s Department (RGD) is to ensure an efficient and effective administration of entities inter-alia the registration of businesses, industrial property, marriages, administration of estates, and public trustees; to provide customer friendly services and accurate data for national planning. Testimonies from the private sector indicate are positive and indicates an improvement in the registration of businesses. Now delays associated with the registration of businesses have significantly reduced. This is partly attributed to the online registration on the agency’s website.

The RGD has also been instrumental in the campaign for the protection of intellectual protection rights. This year, they partnered with IP Network Ghana to stress the essence of IP rights and its implications for creativity and innovation. The RGD need to decentralize its operations through the setting up of mobile registration centres or employing an army of volunteers to register as many small and medium enterprises as can be covered. The formalization of businesses for SMEs will enhance their growth whilst earning tax revenue for the government.

5. Ghana Stock Exchange

The Ghana Stock Exchange (GSE)’s performance in a difficult 2014 was partially successful based on its impressive performance in 2013. For the first six months of 2013 recorded a very impressive performance as against the whole of 2012. From January to July 2013, the GSE Composite Index stood at 61.39 per cent, as against 6.06 per cent for the whole of 2012. The GSE Financial Stock Index equally stood at 61.66 per cent, as against 0.53 per cent for the entire 2012 total market capitalization for the period under review stood at GH¢55.78 billion as against GH¢54.95 billion in 2012 with domestic capitalization doubling from GH¢5.57 billion to GH¢10.57 billion. Total volume of trade was equally on the rise. At the close of business on July 31, total trade stood at 209.16 million as against 218.13 million, for the whole of 2012.

In terms of value, total trade at mid-2013 stood at GH¢230.51 million, as against GH¢102.2 million for the whole of 2012.Reviewing the market, Bloomberg and other international news wire service described the market as “best performing market in Sub-Saharan Africa”.

Listed companies also recorded significant price increases during the first half year. Out of the 34 companies, CAL Bank led the gainers with 194 per cent followed by Enterprise Group Ltd. with 191 per cent, Benso Oil Palm Plantation, 150 per cent, GCB, 134 per cent, and PZ Cussons Ghana, 122 per cent. Seven companies gained more than 50 per cent in their share price while eight companies gained above 10 per cent. Eleven companies maintained their prices with only four recording some level of depreciation.

Investor interest in the market soared with the massive performance of the bourse. This is evidenced in the fact that the number of equities changing hands increased by 161 per cent, compared to the previous period. Volume traded also exhibited a similar trend; hence growing by 435 per cent. The introduction of the Ghana Alternative Market (GAX) by the GSE has afforded some SME’s the opportunity to secure much needed longer term capital at a relatively lower cost allowing for future expansion, growth and greater ability to stand competition.

The Ghana Stock Exchange was established in July 1989 as a private company limited by guarantee under the Companies Code of 1963. It was given recognition as an authorized Stock Exchange under the Stock Exchange Act of 1971 (Act 384) in October 1990.