Cabinet this week continued the dialogue with permanent secretaries, heads of department and union representatives to address the inefficiencies that currently exist in the public sector.
According to the Director General of Communications in the Office of the Prime Minister Maurice Merchant, these key officials were again invited by the Cabinet to continue dialogue it started last meeting on public sector service inefficiencies, worker accountability, union relations, and efforts to reform and professionalize the public sector in Antigua and Barbuda.
“The Prime Minister emphasized the importance of an interactive dialogue to address performance issues and solutions, noting that the cabinet supports initiatives to increase PNC (Performance and National Competitiveness) introduced by heads of department. The Prime Minister acknowledged serious training gaps and the need for an active training division to collaborate in developing accredited courses that can contribute to efficiency, proficiency, and career advancement within the public sector. He stressed that promotions should be based on competence and performance, not just length of service, to ensure qualified individuals advance and contribute effectively,” Merchant reported.
He said the Prime Minister highlighted the importance of aligning job descriptions with actual duties and providing necessary training to public servants, including technology and skills to adapt to the new environment. The Prime Minister discussed performance evaluation and accountability, urging senior public servants to take appropriate action and utilize available technologies to enhance efficiency and decision-making. In this regard the Prime Minister announced that government will assume the cost of Permanent Secretaries and Heads of Department who are expected to attend the University of the West Indies Five Islands Campus AI Annual Research Conference on June 23 and 24.
“In addition, Permanent Secretaries, Heads of Department and other Senior Officials will be required to participate in a Public Sector Leadership Training Programme at the University of the West Indies Five Islands Campus, designed to integrate robust content from existing proposals and globally recognized leadership frameworks, specifically leveraging insights from the Results-Based Management model and the Harvard Core Curriculum on public leadership,” Merchant announced.
Discussions also centered on the need for Permanent Secretaries and Senior Officials to familiarize themselves with the Procurement Administration Act and other Legislations and Amendments relating to their roles.
According to Merchant, the meeting with Permanent Secretaries, Heads of Departments, and Union Officials was both robust and productive, with key challenges and potential solutions thoroughly discussed. A designated team has been tasked with preparing an outcome document to guide implementation across all government departments. To ensure continuity in the dialogue, a team of senior officials will be invited to the Cabinet meeting next week to further the discussions.
