Page 10 - Service Delivery Review

News in Brief

Minister Nxesi opens African Association for Public

Administration and Management Conference

Acting Public Service and Administration Minister, Thulas Nxesi photographed with delegates at the AAPAM conference

South Africa is at the forefront of promoting good Introducing the Acting Minister to the conference
governance, says Acting Public Service and Ad- delegates, the DPSA Director-General, Ms. Yoliswa
ministration Minister, Thulas Nxesi during his open- Makhasi said: “The Acting Minister for Public Service
ing address at the 41 three-day conference of the and Administration is responsible for establishing
st
African Association for Public Administration and norms and standards relating to the optimal function-
Management (AAPAM) in Cape Town in early Decem- ing of the whole public service.
ber 2022. The AAPAM conference, which was host-
ed under the theme: “Africa’s Renewal in the Era of “Minister Nxesi capably and passionately promot-
Sustainable Development: Shared Responsibility for ed the Professionalisation Framework through the
Strengthening Institutions” was meant to propose av- Cabinet process and is a key proponent of contin-
enues for investment in sustainable development for uous professional development in the public service
the African continent. through the delivery of the identified compulsory pro-
grammes.”
Minister Nxesi said the theme correctly describes
the need for Africans in the public service to have She said the department plays a critical role in ensur-
a shared responsibility in strengthening the institu- ing that the public service is run efficiently and that
tions. He further expressed South Africa’s continued there is a return on investment for every public rand
commitment to the goal of integrating the African that is spent on salaries, benefits and service deliv-
continent. Acting Minister Nxesi said the conference ery. The renewal and rebuilding programme requires
flags the need for collective responsibility as the driv- strong partnerships with professional associations
ing force of developmental efforts on the continent, such as AAPAM. The Department is therefore com-
which he further described as a good initiative. mitted to this partnership.”
“Well-functioning institutions can promote growth The DPSA and AAPAM have a good relationship and
and reduce poverty in Africa by providing a condu- have jointly hosted a series of seminars over the last
cive environment for the implementation of the Agen- five years. The annual seminars have always created
da 2063 and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). a platform for all to share and exchange knowledge
Therefore, African countries should endeavour to and discuss cross-cutting areas. South Africa con-
establish effective, responsive and democratic insti- tinues to host such seminars and workshops to en-
tutions that will promote accountability, transparent hance regional and continental integration and help
governance, and sustainable socio-economic devel- realise the achievement of the two global goals that is
opment. This conference fits well with the current crit- the SDGs and AU Agenda 2063.
ical issues where public servants are all called upon
to meet citizens’ demands and the need to improve By Nthambeleni Gabara
their lives,” said Minister Nxesi, adding that the effi- www.dpsa.gov.za/thepublicservant
ciency and effectiveness of Government to discharge
its responsibility is largely dependent on the calibre of
public servants.

10 SERVICE DELIVERY REVIEW | Volume 15 • No. 2 of 2022/2023