Page 10 - Service Delivery Review

News in Brief

The Innovation 2023 Conference brought together
government leaders from across the globe

The Innovation 2023 Conference held in the UK on But by embracing innovation, the conference demon-
21 March 2023 brought together government leaders strated that we can find solutions within the same dy-
from across the globe responsible for the transforma- namics that are constantly throwing up new challeng-
tion and acceleration of public sector organisations es – adopting emerging technologies, adapting to
and services. changed cultures, and building new skills, structures
and communications methods to meet the public’s
An estimated 500 participants attended the con- evolving expectations.
ference which was addressed by more than twenty
speakers drawn from various countries including Ms Governments have no choice but to innovate. The
Phindile Baleni, the South African Cabinet Secretary various speakers at the conference demonstrated
and DG in The Presidency. the need for governments to draw on the talent of
the whole workforce, address the barriers within and
I was honoured to be part of the participants from across departments and adapt civil servants’ tools,
South Africa together with colleagues from the Pres- incentives and systems to ensure sustainable inno-
idency, the National School of Government, the De- vation.
partment of Communications and Digital Technology
as well as the Department of Science and Innovation. Furthermore, officials require the tools, skills and
The conference was co-hosted by the UK Govern- confidence to experiment with new approaches to
ment, UK Civil Service and the Cabinet Office. service delivery. The systems and structures within
which they operate must support and promote intelli-
gent risk-taking. And they need to work in partnership
Innovation 2023 is aimed at assisting civil servants
from a range of critical professions and functions, and across professional and organisational boundaries,
assembling the right skills and capabilities to rebuild
from countries around the world, to promote and de- services around users’ needs.
velop new approaches to policymaking and service
delivery.
My insight from this conference is that innovation
is for everyone, not for technologists only. We don’t
need more money to innovate, there are already so
many resources being channelled into ICT systems
and processes aimed at the delivery of quality ser-
vices at large. We must involve employees at different
levels and support them to raise awareness of inno-
vation and their role. Institutions like the Centre for
Public Service Innovation (CPSI) have a greater role
to play to lead, inspire and engage public servants to
be innovators.

As the DPSA, we will continue to take up our role at
the policy level by setting norms and standards that
enable and do not constrain innovation in the public
Ms Yoliswa Makhasi is the Director General of the service.
Department of Public Service and Administration
Drawing on the expertise and views of all those at-
Governments face a complex set of social, economic tending, Innovation 2023 presented a unique op-
and environmental challenges, driven by rapid tech- portunity to explore the keys to innovation with col-
nological, political and demographic change. And leagues from around the world.
with public finances under pressure, few can spend
their way out of problems. – By the DG of the DPSA, Yoliswa Makhasi

10 SERVICE DELIVERY REVIEW | Volume 15. No. 3 of 2023