Boosting skills across the public service to drive reform
Public and civil services need to develop skills to make sure they are able to deliver services that citizens demand in the 21st century.
However, skills are also required to help drive the reforms of public services themselves.
This challenge is all the more acute in younger democracies, where there is not the history of looking to develop skills to drive institutional reform for the good of the whole of the population. This webinar looked at how these countries can boost the skills of their public and civil servants. It looked at best practice around skilling up employees in the areas of democratic values and principles, and look at how they can also develop technical skills around public service delivery, procurement, digital development, project management, and finance that governments need to professionalise.
Join this session to find out:
• The key skills that public servants need to have to boost government capacity in the 21st century, from digital to policymaking.
• How to anticipate the skills that government will need in future – and how to ensure they are available across government organisations.
• How to build civil service values of impartiality, integrity, honesty and objectivity across the workforce.
Panel
Nyiko Mabunda, Acting Deputy Director-General, Human Resource Management and Development (HRMD), Department of Public Service Administration (DPSA), Republic of South Africa
Nyiko Mabunda is the Acting Deputy Director General for Human Resource Management and Development (HRMD) at the DPSA. This role sees him managing, overseeing and facilitating human resource planning, employment, performance, development, transformation and workplace environment (norms and standards) across the public service.
Mabunda has experience as a project manager at an international development institution, policy management, development and evaluations. Mabunda has worked as a Policy Advisor and Analyst for the Gauteng Office of the Premier, where he was responsible for conducting research on policy issues in support of the Provincial Cabinet.
Mabunda has completed degrees with majors in Political Science and Public Administration; Public Policy; International Political Economy and International Relations. These qualifications and experiences enjoins Mabunda with the ability to understand South Africa’s policy landscape, international political economy and the constraints faced by policy implementers and developers.
Dr Nandipha Madiba, Non-Executive Director of the Board, and Chairperson of Human Capital, Remuneration , Social & Ethics Committee, South African Bureau of Standards (SABS)
A holder of PhD and DBA degrees, with Thesis on Digital Transformation Governance. A “Corporate Governance Advocate”, Strategist, Chartered Director with IoDSA with experience at executive level (as CFO or CEO/MD), coupled with serving (w.e.f.1995/6), on Boards of Directors, Board Committees like Audit and Risk, Human-Resources & Remuneration, Social and Ethics , Governance/Nomination, covering public and private sectors. Possessing banking experience. Also passionate about Rural Development & Community upliftment. IRMSA (Associate), and Association-for-Information-Systems Member. She holds Non-Executive Director positions on diverse corporations like: Sci-Bono Discovery Centre (as the first female Deputy Chairman), Public Sector Accountancy & Audit Academy (PSAAA)( as the Board Chairman), Sasol Oil, SABS, South African Dental Technicians Council (Vice President), former Board Chairman of ECDC, to name a few.
She possesses decades of experience as a CFO and acting as Accounting Officer, and subsequently engaging in consulting in areas like: Corporate Governance, Risk & Financial Management and reporting (GRAP/GAAP/IFRS), as well as Short-term contracts with some SOEs to mentor their CFOs on Strategic Leadership, Internal Control Systems and Financial Processes. Science, Technology & Innovation Policy.
She has more than forty (40) years of operational, Board and C-suite level experience across several industries (including banking), experience backed up by international exposure to various countries to participate in dialogue in Corporate Governance, Cyber, Technology, Cross-Border Trade, Creative Industry, Agriculture, Ocean Economy, Public Sector Audit Turnarounds, with her first employment having been in the Financial Services Sector in the early eighties (80s).
Dr Madiba had held leadership level positions for almost three decades. She also did part- articles of clerkship at Deloitte, during the 90s. A mother of five sons who were professional rugby players. Currently pursuing a Post-Doctoral studies on areas covered in her research.
Lawrence Matemba, Acting Head, Policy Research and Services, The Presidency, Republic of South Africa
Lawrence Matemba is the Acting Head of the Policy and Research Services Branch in The Presidency. The main function of this role is to provide technical and content support to the Principals in The Presidency, particularly with regard to policy coordination, integration, and coherence; enhancing evidence-based high-quality executive decision making, and driving some of the cross-cutting policy priorities initiatives.
Lawrence is currently enrolled on the Ph.D. in Leadership Programme at the Albert Luthuli Leadership Institute at the University of Pretoria. In this program, his interest is on leadership in development, i.e. the capabilities that are required to be able to implement complex agendas such as the United Nations SDGs, Medium Term Strategic Framework (MTSF), the Economic Reconstruction and Recovery Plan (ERRP), etc
Lawrence holds a Masters of Commerce (M Com) degree in Business Administration from the Graduate School of Business at the University of Cape Town.
Caroline Y Owusu Agyekum, Head of HR, Human Resource Unit, KAIPTC, Ghana
Caroline Y. Owusu Agyekum is a distinguished human resources leader with over 25 years of experience spanning across the UK and Ghana. She is currently the Head of Human Resources at Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre (KAIPTC), where she works with a diverse mix of military, police, and civil personnel. Caroline is known for her motivational leadership style and her commitment to fostering inclusive and equitable work environments, with a proven record of accomplishment in human resource management and corporate governance.
Caroline with the wealth of experience and comprehensive skill set she has influences every organization she has works with, with particular emphasis on fostering inclusive and equitable work environments. A holder of postgraduate degrees in management, business administration, human resource and finance, Caroline had spent decades dedicated to professional development and passion for human rights, which have further enhanced her capacity to contribute meaningfully to both organizational goals and societal advancement.
Her career began at the Parliament House-Ghana, after her A Levels, and she has taught at both secondary and tertiary levels in the early 2000s. Caroline has held positions at the Institute of African Studies University of Ghana and the Institute of Economic Affairs, Ghana’s premier public policy think-tank which has a track record of being influential in public discourse on social political, economic and legal issues. Additionally, Caroline has been the Managing Partner of CPN Consult since 2010, conducting numerous leadership training programmes, steering corporate governance workshops, providing management and strategic planning support to organizations and government agencies that empower leaders at all levels. Her training initiatives focus on developing leadership skills that drive organizational success.
Caroline has a special interest in youth, women, and gender issues. She regularly participates in HRM seminars and workshops, sharing her knowledge and staying abreast of industry trends. A passionate advocate for human and women’s rights, Caroline’s efforts have contributed to advancing equality and justice within the workplace and beyond. Her advocacy work underscores her commitment to social responsibility. To this end, Caroline has served on several boards including the Croydon Young People’s Project, JusB, a London inner-city charity that empowers young people, and managed Advocacy First, a Bromley advocacy organization that supports older person’s right to independent living. With postgraduate degrees in Social Anthropology and Gender, Human Rights, and Peace and Security, Caroline is a passionate advocate for women’s rights and equality in the workplace.
Webinar chair: Siobhan Benita, Facilitator, Global Government Forum
Siobhan Benita was a senior civil servant with over 15 years’ Whitehall experience. She worked in many of the major delivery departments, including Transport, Environment, Health and Local Government. She also had senior roles at the heart of Government in the Cabinet Office and HM Treasury, including supporting the then Cabinet Secretary, Lord O’Donnell to lead work on Civil Service reform and strategy. Siobhan left the Civil Service to run as an independent candidate in the Mayor of London election. She subsequently joined her alma mater, Warwick University as Chief Strategy Officer of Warwick in London and Co-Director of the Warwick Policy Lab.
