Public service commissions are important institutions, with civil servants playing a crucial role in delivering essential services, National Planning Commission director general Kaire Mbuende said on Monday.

Speaking at the opening of a three-day meeting of the SADC Public Service Commissions Forum, Mbuende emphasised that civil servants are frontline workers in sectors such as education and health and in issuing national documents like birth certificates and passports.

"Countries are judged by the quality of their public service. That is, the time that it takes to obtain a particular service is important, and can lead to a decision by investors to invest or not to invest," Mbuende said.

He noted that in many countries the government remains the largest employer, and the effectiveness of the public service is central to the success of political promises and development goals.

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"As politicians, we make promises, set targets, but it is the public service that has to deliver," he stressed.

Delegates attending the general meeting will address shared challenges such as skills shortages, ethical standards in the public sector and digital transformation.

Public service commissioners from Namibia, Angola, Botswana, South Africa, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Mauritius, Lesotho and Malawi are attending the meeting.

Somadoda Fikeni, chairperson of the SADC Public Service Commissions Forum, said the meeting is a practical platform for collaboration among member states.

"Because on a daily basis, whether in a municipality or in a department, people receive service through the frontline staff members, through the back-office staff members," said Fikeni, also the chairperson of the Public Service Commission of South Africa.

Namibia's Public Service Commission chairperson, Salmaan Jacobs, echoed the importance of public service, urging SADC public service commissions to strengthen collaboration through formal agreements.

"To implement regional commitments effectively, formal agreements must operationalise them into concrete activities and public administration protocols," Jacobs said.

The SADC Public Service Commissions Forum was established in May 2024 in Cape Town, South Africa, with the aim of enhancing the capacity and professionalism of public service institutions across the region. - Nampa