The Project Steering Committee (PStC) of the Public Sector Reform for Results Project (PSRRP) has held a meeting to discuss the progress of the restructuring of the PSRRP as well as review the implementation approach and strategies to enable 13 Selected Entities to meet the deadlines of signing all contracts by 30 June 2023 and project completion in June 2024.
The Committee further discussed key outstanding issues and projections as assessed by the World Bank among others towards the realization of the Project Development Objective of “Improving efficiency and accountability in the delivery of selected services of the Selected Entities” by the 13 public sector institutions in Ghana.
The Deputy Minister for Finance, Dr. John A. Kumah disclosed this in Accra and said after four years of project implementation, the project sum of US$ 35 million had been revised to US$ 32 million.
“About USS13.75 million, which is about 42.96 per cent has been disbursed leaving an amount of USS 21.25 million with only eight months until project closure,” he added.
He expressed concerns about the Moderately Satisfactory rating of the project in 2021 and added that more could be done to accomplish the programme.
He urged members to work together to ensure the project achieves its objectives within the time frame and in an efficient manner.
The Senior Presidential Advisor, Mr Yaw Osafo-Maafo, who is also the Chairman of the PStC, stated that the truncated amount would be redirected as budgetary support.
He reiterated the contract signing deadline and project completion dates of June 2023 and June 2024, respectively.
“The PSRRP is enhancing citizen-centre service delivery. The Passport Office would soon receive a modern printer with the capacity to print 2,000 passports per hour, a new printing and sorting machine for the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority (DVLA) and the Births and Deaths Registry (BDR), among others,” he noted.
He entreated the Selected Entities and everyone involved in the project to work diligently to get the best out of the project for the delivery of essential services.
On her part, the Project Manager, Dr. Betty Nanor Arthur presented the project’s implementation status based on its overall implementation.
She stated, “Project activities are now focused on achieving tangible results as per the revised performance-based conditions (PBC) matrix and technical notes.
She highlighted the significant progress made in designing and implementing specific interventions to achieve results.
“PMU has been actively engaged with the Selected Entities through weekly virtual meetings and physical visits where necessary. There has been an Increased adherence to the Standard Operating Procedures for approving consultants’ outputs and payments. Also, the Technical Evaluation Committees (TEC) have been meeting to review the outputs of consultants and approve final deliverables,” she added.
She stated that an independent verification agent (IVA) had completed its first verification of the PBCs and faced considerable data challenges and, therefore, recommended a disbursement of US$2.00 million out of US$4.5 million
“World Bank team has approved a final list of activities, including work to be outsourced for which the contracts will be signed latest by June 20, 2023. Project Development Objective (PDO) was rated moderately satisfactory and all four PDO Indicators were on track. Also, implementation Progress was rated moderately satisfactory based on progress in the various components and the intermediary results indicators,” she stressed.
The 13 public sector institutions comprise of Public Services Commission, the Office of the Head of Civil Service, the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice, Ministry of Local Government, Decentralization and Rural Development, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, Ministry of Transport, Ministry of Environment, Science Technology and Innovation, Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority, Births and Deaths Registry, Passport Office, Monitoring and Evaluation Secretariat, National Information Technology Agency and the Public Sector Reform Secretariat.
The PStC is the highest decision-making body of the PSRRP implementation. It is a Government of Ghana initiative and it is being implemented by Public Sector Reform Secretariat under the oversight and supervisory responsibility of the Senior Presidential Advisor.
Patience Anaadem, ISD
