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Leonard Ncube, Victoria Falls Reporter
VICE President Constantino Chiwenga has challenged African governments to take vaccination of their citizens seriously for the world to effectively fight the global Covid-19 pandemic.

VP Chiwenga made the remarks virtually from Harare as he officially opened the 8th Edition of the Africa Public Service Day Conference in Victoria Falls yesterday.

The conference which started yesterday and ends tomorrow, is being held under the theme: “Building the Africa we want, through embracing an ethical culture and underpins purpose driven leadership in the context of a crisis.”

It is being attended by public service experts, Government officials including ministers from across the continent and high-ranking African Union executives.

Africa Public Service Day dates back to 1994 when African Ministers of Public Service and Administration met at the Pan African Conference of Public Service Ministers held in Tangier, Morocco where it was resolved that the 23rd of June each year be set aside for commemorating the Africa Public Service.

The last Africa Public Service Day event was held in Nairobi Kenya in June 2019.

VP Chiwenga said commemoration of the day is a fulfilment of the visionary aspirations demonstrated by the ministers.

While commending the role played by public sector workers in containing calamities such as Cyclone Idai in 2019 and the current Covid-19, VP Chiwenga said it was imperative for the continent to adhere to ethics so as to have a corruption free public service for national development in each individual state.

He urged African Governments to progressively adopt the use of information communication technologies (ICTs) as a way of improving public service administration, saying Zimbabwe has been on the offensive over the years to improve the sector.

“We congregate here once again to celebrate the contribution of the public service in spearheading national and continental development in line with the aspirations of our forefathers and fulfilment of Vision 2063.

“Nearly three decades after the Tangier Conference, we continue to commemorate this day religiously, mindful of the expectations which are placed on our national Governments, whose processes and developmental programmes are steered by a committed and dedicated public service workers, whom we recognise and celebrate today. The 8th Edition of the Africa Public Service Day Commemorations is historic in that it is the first time it is being convened virtually as a consequence of the challenges posed by the Covid-19 pandemic,” said VP Chiwenga.

He said it is incumbent upon African Governments to continue to have a clear and coherent vision to ensure that the public service is well motivated to enable it to continue to deliver quality services for the citizenry.

“We should be our own champions, driving the developmental path, which should improve the lives and well-being of our people,” said the VP.

He said it is unfortunate that the event comes at a critical time characterised by an environment which has been enveloped by the Covid-19 pandemic which continues to threaten mankind, with more than three million lives having been lost globally, in a devastating trail which adversely impacted on livelihoods and of course service delivery in the public service.

VP Chiwenga said some positive stories and high recovery rates recorded outside hotspot areas were however diminished by the unprecedented loss of lives.

“The outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic has greatly transformed the way of doing business in both the private and public spheres. This has clearly redefined the African Public Service, which has over the past 30 years been a subject for reform. Our convergence here allows us to chart our own destiny as it affords us another opportunity to reflect about the Public Service of yesteryear and its new tentacles being redefined by technology and even more recently the Covid-19 pandemic. The outbreak of the pandemic has presented us with an opportunity to embrace and adopt information communication technology in conducting business within the Public Service,” he said.

“The pandemic has also resulted in the need for re-orienting our public service towards the digital economy. Let met hasten to express that, our contemporary environment calls for continued public-private partnership which is desirable for national growth. This event today, affords us an opportunity to interact with the private sector so that the public sector can tap into knowledge and skills which improve service delivery.”

VP Chiwenga paid tribute to Public Service workers who have remained committed and dedicated to their work in the fight against the pandemic despite the associated risks.

He said the past 18 months have been testing for the country but the professional public service workers demonstrated their capabilities in managing the Covid-19 pandemic.

VP Chiwenga said the country witnessed a resurgence of mortalities which claimed some frontline workers but had fared well, as we implemented the World Health Organisation (WHO) guidelines on social distancing, hand sanitisation, avoiding public gatherings and other measures.

“I salute all the gallant public workers and our thoughts and prayers are with those who lost their lives while executing their duties as public servants. In a bid to curtail the menacing effects of the second wave, my Government has in the past few months embarked on a massive vaccination campaign which was launched in phases and targeted at our frontline workers who included our nurses, doctors, social workers, law enforcement officers and media practitioners among others. The roll-out of vaccines presents our best foot forward in the fight against the pandemic. It is also important to highlight that beyond this epidemiological threat, the public service has showcased its ability to handle natural calamities. May I urge all our Governments to take vaccination seriously and avoid listening to misinformation peddled on social media platforms,” he said.

VP Chiwenga said the African Union continues to anchor its successes on calling for effective, efficient and strengthening of public administration systems despite the complex environment which Governments have endured.

He assured conference delegates and anyone visiting Zimbabwe that safety is guaranteed as the country, which became the first in the continent to roll out mass vaccination against Covid-19, is also well-known for being a haven for peace.

VP Chiwenga said Government had intensified interventions to cushion its citizens in the wake of Covid-19 and Intwasa, a modernised zero tillage agricultural practice is an example of ensuring food security to vulnerabilities exacerbated by the Covid-19 pandemic and drought.

He said Zimbabwe put in place strategies through the National Development Strategy (NDS) 1 to ensure and maintain an ethical public service administration and will continue to embrace measures to ensure the improvement of conditions of service for public servants and the promotion of the decent work agenda at the workplaces.

He said this is being done through the awarding of monetary and non-monetary rewards to motivate workers.

VP Chiwenga said Government will not forget its youths in all sectors of the economy.

“It will be remiss to ignore the issue of corruption which continues to be a threat to national development across Africa. Corruption has become endemic in our culture and need to be weeded out in our public systems of the public service.

He said Zimbabwe has adopted a zero tolerance to corruption approach and has instituted arrests of perpetrators, some of whom have already been convicted and are currently serving their sentences.

“I am pleased that the African Union continues to emphasise the importance of ethics within the public sector, which should be people-centred. In this regard let me call for a corruption-free Africa to ensure that resources are devoted and channelled where appropriate and for the benefit of the public,” said VP Chiwenga.

He said ICT will revitalise service delivery as citizens are now accustomed to conducting businesses online, with Government also embracing e-business towards the ease of doing business.

Arts, culture and heritage have been included as integral to this year’s edition of the Africa Public Service Day as part of the collective pursuits as a continent, in line with African Union theme for the year “The Arts, Culture and Heritage; Levers for Building the Africa We Want.”

VP Chiwenga said Zimbabwe was doing all it can to preserve history through honouring its freedom fighters, singling out the unveiling of Mbuya Nehanda Nyakasikana National Monument on Africa Day and the Bulawayo Arts Festival (BAF), Victoria Falls which has significance in Zimbabwe’s historical and cultural heritage, Khami National Monument and Matobo Cultural Landscape as examples. — @ncubeleon