Background

The formulation of the Vision 20:2020 and Economic Transformation Blueprint in 2009, and the development of the 1st National Implementation Plan (1st NIP) (2010 -2013), as well as the Transformation Agenda (TA) (2011-2015), brought to fore the strategic role of the public service in economic development and in aiding the government in achieving its strategic objectives.

Past Reform and Achievements

In 2009, a performance management training workshop covering the topics of setting standards, target setting, monitoring and evaluation, and remedial action was organised by the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation (OHCSF). In 2010 a National Monitoring and Evaluation Department was established in the National Planning Commission (NPC) to, in conjunction with MDAs, develop Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) to track the performance of ministries and agencies. These KPIs formed the basis of the ministerial performance contracts.

The OHCSF subsequently rolled out in 2012 an integrated performance management system comprising of an institutional and individual framework, and established a new Performance Management System (PMS) department to drive the introduction and institutionalisation of the PMS in the federal civil service. The signing of the performance contracts by the President and all his ministers and other strategic public officials in August 2012 commenced the implementation of the Performance Management System. In 2013 activities of the three key stakeholders in institutionalising and improving the PMS in the Federal Civil Service, Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation (OHCSF), Federal Civil Service Commission (FCSC), and the National Population Commission (NPC) were harmonised.

Challenges and Next Steps

Studies should be carried out to ascertain the changes to KPIs from the introduction of PMS. The NPC, the Federal Ministry of Finance and the Budget Office of the Federation should address the weak linkage between plans and budget. Officers should be trained on monitoring and evaluation to enhance their currently weak capacity. Staff across the civil service should be continuously trained on target setting for optimal performance. The harmonized Performance Management System (PMS) should be adopted as the framework for the implementation of the proposed PMS for the Federal Public Service, with OHCSF serving as the lead implementing agency. Implementation of PMS in the Federal Public Service should be piloted, and outcome in the first year not used as basis for staff promotion.