Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, 20 May 2019: The need to unlock the human and institutional potential for the public sector to drive quality public service delivery, heighten the fight against corruption and good governance in Public and Administration sectors in the continent, remains of enormous interest to the African Union.

To revitalize the public service and administration sectors as encapsulated in the African Charter on Public Service, and which calls for a holistic approach and a greater focus on reforms at the policy, organizational and human resources levels, the African Union Commission, in collaboration with the United Republic of Tanzania, convened a capacity building Seminar for public officers from state parties to the Charter, to strengthen their capacity and understanding of the Guidelines for reporting on the implementation of the African Charter on Public Service by Member States.

The two-day meeting focused on the evaluation of mechanisms used by member states in developing the national status reports on the progress of domesticating and implementing the Charter, as provided for in the reporting guidelines approved by member states.

Dr. Mary Mwanjelwa, the Deputy Minister of State, President's Office (Public Service and Good Governance), representing the Chairperson of the Sub-committee on Public Service and Administration (PsA) of the AU Specialized Technical Committee (8), emphasized on the need for countries to strengthen their institutions for better service delivery to the citizenry, efforts she noted would grow the economies of member states and foster regional integration. She added, “it is important to tap into, build the economy and improve basic services such as water, education, health and so on. While we appreciate the challenges in managing such, we also acknowledge the potential that lies in the implementation of the provisions of the African Charter on Public Service to achieve the ‘Africa We Want’ as stipulated in AU Agenda 2063.”
Mr. Issaka Garba Abdou, a representative from the African Union Commission department of Political Affairs and Coordinator of the AU Specialized Technical Committee (8) Secretariat, reaffirmed the importance of the legal instrument in the provision of better public service delivery, underscoring however, that the benefits of the Charter would only be realized in its effective implementation and domestication by member states. “The AU lauds the adoption of the Charter by our member states, which is a fundamental achievement in driving a quality public service delivery for African citizens, and is also an important element in the fight against corruption in Africa. The objective of this training is to strengthen the knowledge, skills, and capacity of public servants, who are at the heart of state performance, to be able to submit quality and credible reports assessing the implementation of the Charter”, Mr. Garba stated.
The African Charter on the Values and Principles of Civil Service and Administration was adopted at the 16th ordinary session of the Assembly of Heads of State and Government held in Addis January 31, 2011. The Charter is the first legally binding regional public service instrument, which serves to promote and improve quality public service delivery and fighting corruption in the public service. It serves as a roadmap for standard setting for quality public service delivery. Its tenets provide for principles, duties of the public service, code of conduct for public service agents, rights of public service agents, management of human resources, member states’ responsibilities toward service delivery as well as mechanisms for application of the Charter.

For further inquiry, please contact:
Mr. Issaka Garba Abdou, Senior Political officer/Coordinator of the STC8 Secretariat, Department of Political Affairs, African Union Commission; garbaabdoui@africa-union.org; Tel: +251115182611;
Mr. Molalet Tsedeke, Media Center Coordinator; Directorate of Information and Communication; AU Commission. molalett@africa-union.org; Tel: 0911 630631.
Directorate of Information and Communication | African Union Commission I E-mail: DIC@africa-union.org I Web Site: www.au.int I Addis Ababa | Ethiopia