LUSAKA, Feb. 21 (Xinhua) -- The Zambian government on Wednesday launched training programs aimed at equipping civil servants with skills to deliver competent services to the public.
The training programs will be provided by the National Institute of Public Administration (NIPA) of Zambia, a government training entity that has partnered with the National School of Government of South Africa.
In his remarks at the launch, Zambian President Hakainde Hichilema said it is the responsibility of all public workers to ensure excellence in service delivery.
He said it is unfortunate that the commitment to duty and excellence in public service has declined in public perception, adding that it is time to change this.
"The launch of the program is a combined decision to train people in public service and sharpen their skills, because learning is a continuous process," he said.
The Zambian president said the government has a clear vision and mission to develop the country, but this requires a dedicated and well-trained public service that will implement the policies, adding that it is unfortunate that projects have been affected due to a knack for delaying things.
Patrick Kangwa, the secretary to the Cabinet, said the 1993 reforms that led to the commercialization of the NIPA posed a challenge to the quality of public service because government entities stopped sending staff to the institution for training.
He said the resumption of training programs is a game changer because it will promote competent and ethical public service through training.
According to him, the NIPA has since come up with innovative solutions to deliver the training, such as offering classes virtually, a situation that will allow public workers easy access to the programs.
Among the programs to be provided include pre-deployment training and certification for newly recruited public workers, in-service training and certification for serving public workers, and public service leadership and governance training for appointed officials and senior government officials. ■
