US$6.3 M to reform public sector

ANOTHER effort is being made to improve this country’s public service. Yesterday government signed a $6.3 million Public Sector Reform (PSR) Initiations Loan agreement with the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), which will provide technical assistance, training, equipment, studies and the establishment of a panel of experts. The IDB will provide US$5 million and the remaining US$1.25 million will be in the form of counterpart funds. The programme will be administered by the Ministry of Public Administration. Minister of Planning and Development Camille Robinson-Regis, speaking at yesterday’s ceremony at the Ministry of Public Administration, NALIS Building, Port-of-Spain, said the review of the public sector was crucial in government’s thrust in transforming TT to developed status by 2020.

She said developed status will see a nation without service delays, inefficiencies and insensitivity from the public sector in dealing with members of the public. Noting that over the years there has been “commitment, dedication and all round pride” in the public service, the Minister said “the building blocks had no doubt been weather beaten and weakened to a point where its original structure is no longer recognisable to stakeholders, the people of TT.” She advised that “this sense of ‘nothing is being done to improve the way services in the public sector are provided’ has to be erased.” Robinson-Regis explained that the objectives of the reform programme were to “assist government to identify the issues for transformation, facilitate the attainment of the consensus to implement and develop basic management instruments to steer the process.”

She said activities will be undertaken under two main components, “the development of the PSR Strategy at a cost of US$2.3 million and the strengthening of the PSR implementation capacity at a cost of US$2.6 million.” A Project Implementation Unit will be established at a cost of US$800,000 and a panel of experts will provide technical assistance to the Ministry of Public Administration. Among some of the agencies to benefit from the programme are the Service Commissions Department, Central Statistical Office and the Tobago House of Assembly (THA).

The IDB is also working closely with government to develop strategies for implementation of the National Information Communications Technology Plan (ICT) and will soon provide financing under an Investment Climate Initiative for improvement of the business community to attract private sector investment. IDB representative to TT, Governor William Robinson, recalled past attempts at reforming the public sector. He said for such an exercise to be successful there must be “coherence and consistency.”