Executive Summary

Need to Reconstruct the Public Administration

An important step in the modernization of the civil service was the establishment of the Independent Administrative Reform and Civil Service Commission (IARCSC) in June 2002. In the 2003/04 national development budget, the government presented a detailed short-term strategy for public administration and civil service reform, aiming at creating a lean, capable and motivated civil service dedicated to supporting the country’s national interests. Despite various constraints, important initiatives have been taken, including the approval by the Cabinet in July 2003 of a presidential decree introducing an interim additional salary allowance for specific positions in ministerial departments which are considered critical for reform (e.g., customs, tax) and are undergoing a large-scale restructuring of their functions. A second decree is to be submitted to the Cabinet to regulate and limit the salary top-ups granted by donor agencies.

Many ministers and ministries have little experience in policymaking and in directing the public service. The longer-term challenges facing public administration include defining and implementing sound relationships between central, regional, provincial, and district governments; creating a sustainable fiscal management process including issues concerned with budget revenues; rationalizing the role and number of institutions and ministries, and retraining and reducing staff accordingly.