How successful has Public Sector Capacity reform been in Ethiopia? This article from Public Administration and Development assesses the outcomes of the Public Sector Capacity reform in the Ministry of Trade and Industry (MOTI) and the Ministry of Education (MoE). It finds a remarkable transformation of service delivery in both organisations. The introduction of business process reengineering (BPR) brought high levels of user satisfaction and spectacular improvements in performance. However, the government will need to maintain the momentum of reform and extend it. Incentive schemes and a monitoring system could prevent regression.
Ethiopia’s transformation agenda has evolved during the last decade. It has developed in response to an awareness that capacity deficits have hampered the ability of the state to reduce poverty and promote democratic development, including responsive service delivery, citizen empowerment and good governance. To enhance the capacity of public institutions and to create an ideal environment for investment and economic growth, the public sector in Ethiopia has gone through a series of reform processes including reform of the civil service.
In MOTI and MoE, although the change process has been sluggish, the improvements that it has brought are outstanding within the context of Ethiopia’s system of public administration.They are particularly surprising given the unpromising context of Ethiopia’s system of public administration, which exhibits patrimonial features that persist from the imperial era.
- Management and employees note a marked change in service delivery and responsibilities.
- A high percentage of users of MOTI and MoE describe the service delivery and customer handling systems as good or very good.
- In MOTI, there has been a significant improvement in the speed and quality of service delivery, as well as in streamlining processes, eliminating duplication of work and enhancing user satisfaction.
- There has been no increased efficiency in budget utilisation or reduction in administrative costs, but this is partly due to problems in the cost accounting system and of quantifying some cost elements.
- BPR has reduced the amount of time it takes for users to receive services, thereby inhibiting the scope for corruption.
Weak service delivery associated with public institutions in Ethiopia can be improved, provided that there is commitment and the groundwork for the change is properly worked out. Implications include the following:
- Success is driven by a desire for change on the part of concerned stakeholders, including management, clients, staff and political executives.
- Access to policymakers to request amendments of legislation, proclamations and changes in working procedures and regulations may also contribute to success.
- Foreign-induced strategies and policies will only be put into effect when there is commitment, ownership and involvement by top management.
- BPR and other initiatives require ‘street-level’staff to adapt to change and perform well.
