New Local Gov’t PS Committed to Achieving Greater Efficiency

Devon Rowe, new permanent secretary in the Ministry of Local Government, Community Development and Sport, has said that in carrying out his new task, he would work to achieve “greater efficiency with the resources that are available.”
Mr. Rowe, who has been serving as Permanent Secretary since December 15, 2005, having succeeded Loraine Robinson, brings to his new job, some 20 years of service in the Finance and Planning Ministry, where he consistently demonstrated a strong acumen for leadership and resource management.
He has served as Deputy Financial Secretary and Head of the Finance Ministry’s Policy Monitoring Unit and was also a member of the Orane Committee, which was convened by Prime Minister P.J. Patterson, to reduce waste in the public sector.
He told JIS News, that these years of “progressive experience in recognising fiscal realities, and operating in a rules-based institution that is geared towards macro-economic stability and growth,” would be brought to bear in the discharge of his new duties.
Mr. Rowe noted also, that his experience as chairman of the Ministry’s citizen’s charter and career development committees, had enhanced his awareness of client satisfaction, and the impetus behind his duties, as permanent secretary, would be to ensure “that the needs of the citizens are met.”
Mr. Rowe’s immediate task as permanent secretary, is that of the strategic positioning of the Ministry, which has seen him engaged in a series of strategic seminars with senior management.
A holder of a Masters’ Degree in Public Administration, Mr. Rowe appreciates the unique nature of the Ministry of Local Government, Community Development and Sport, and his vast experience in fiscal management will no doubt be an asset in carrying out his new tasks.