PSMP II Moves Ahead With $339.3 Million

A total of $339.3 million has been provided for Phase II of the Public Sector Modernization Programme (PSMP) in the 2008/09 Estimates of Expenditure, now before the House of Representatives.
The project, which was initially undertaken between April 2003 and March 2006, and extended to March 2008, has been further extended to March 2012.Phase II of the PSMP, which is funded by the Government, the United Kingdom’s Department for International Development (DFID), and the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), seeks to enable government ministries, departments, and agencies to develop and deliver high quality integrated public service programmes; strengthen results-based management in government; align human resource management strategies with strategic direction of the modernization programme; build a customer service structure, that facilitates continuous improvement in the delivery of service and accountability to the public; and undertake the effective implementation of a performance management and appraisal system in all ministries and departments, to improve governance and accountability in the public sector.
It is anticipated that for 2008/09, the modernization plans for the Ministry of National Security, and the Passport, Immigration and Citizen Agency (PICA) will be completed, while those for the Ministry of Education, Regional Education Agencies, National Inspectorate Agencies, Cabinet Office, Fisheries Division, and Forestry Department will be continued; and a Performance Management and Appraisal System (PMAS) will be implemented in five ministries and three departments.
Also expected to be achieved are the implementation of a Customer Service Monitoring System in pilot ministries; continuation of the development of the Citizens Charter; the development of the Corporate Governance and Accountability framework; drafting of Executive Agency regulations; and implementation of a results-based management framework within ministries, departments and agencies.
Up to January 2008, the Programme had seen the initial implementation of the modernization plan for the Ministry of National Security, where institutional capacity building has commenced; establishment of PICA as an Executive Agency; development and implementation of modernization plans for the Ministry of Education, Cabinet Office, Forestry Department, and Fisheries Division; training being undertaken for 2,000 public sector employees in critical skills areas; implementation of a performance management and appraisal system in eight ministries and four departments, and completion of a strategic review of the Justice Sector.