GOVERNANCE MONITORING REPORT
LDW
Governance Mon or ng Repor pg 1
Liberia Democracy Watch
GOVERNANCE MONITORING REPORT
2010
With Support from TrustAfrica-Humanity United:
LDW
Governance Monitoring Report pg. 2
I.
PREFACE
pg. 4
II.
Executive Summary:
pg.5
III.
Background:
pg. 7
IV.
Goal &Scope
pg. 8 Evaluation Parameter: •
General Organization
•
Level of Decentralization
•
Level of Customer Service Focus;
•
Level of procedural and process consistency
•
Level of public responsibility
•
Quality of service;
V.
Methodology of Study:
pg.10
VI.
Findings: Statistics and Inferences:
pg.11
1. Ministry of Transportation;
pg. 12
a. License Plate and Drivers’ License issuance 2. Ministry of Foreign Affairs
pg. 13
a. Issuance of AOI/ National Passports 3. Ministry of Labor:
pg. 15
a. Alien Work Permit. Standards and Trade Union 4. Ministry of Commerce and Industry;
pg.16
a. Standards & Control, Business Registration 5. Ministry of Finance:
pg.17
a. Customs, General tax Payment; VII.
Workshops Outcome:
VIII.
Successes and Constraints:
IX.
Conclusion:
pg. 18 pg. 19
Appendixes:
LDW
Governance Monitoring Report pg. 3
I.
PREFACE:
After successful presidential and general elections were held in 2005, the Government of Liberia (GoL) embarked on several national programs aimed at restoring the institutions and infrastructure that once kept the machinery of the state and its people on the go. From the ravages of war and devastation, the government designed its post-war recovery program branded” Lift Liberia,” the Poverty Reduction Strategy(PRS) which is tailored to ensure parallel development across Liberia targeting various critical sectors of the country. Built on four inter-connected platforms: Consolidation of Peace and Security; Economic revitalization; Strengthening of Governance and the Rule of Law and the Rehabilitation of infrastructure and delivering basic services; the PRS has and continues to be the GoL’s master plan for medium term national reconstruction and recovery. Since its formulation and implementation, there has been a barrage of criticisms emerging from various quarters of the Liberian society questioning the expressed successes of the program. Issues ranging from enhancing national ownership of the program to amplifying local communities’ role in the implementation of the PRS have been major on the lips of pundits and supporters of the process as well. Liberia Democracy Watch (LDW), in response to the apparent awareness needs realized as a shortfall in the implementation of the PRS program, embarked on a national wide awareness process to increase public understanding and buy-in to the program. LDW’s intervention was supported by TrustArica-Humanity United. The PRS as it continues to unfold should continually draw the attention of the all state and non-state actors interested in this post-conflict development mechanism as a tool for restoring Liberia’s national stature and image. But to ensure the success of this program, which ends in June of 2011, there is a vital need to have groups such as LDW contribute to this effort and provide support in any and all positive forms to help the process of national development. It is in this regard, that LDW, with support from its partners, TrustAfrica-Humanity United has developed its governance monitoring project with the aspiration to mirror aspects of the unfolding PRS process from an independent viewpoint to strengthen weaknesses identified, as well as, contribute to enhancing the prospects for its success. To this end, this report catalogues activities undertaking by LDW in support at strengthening the prospects for success of the PRS, but with the focus on Customer Service Delivery in public service from the perspective of the customer. Whether it be as a result of the war or not, Customer Service delivery has and continue to be a major “black spot” in the business environment both in the private and public sector. Under its reform strategy developed, the Civil Service Agency listed costumer service delivery as a major failure of the system and needed the urgent attention of authorities to be salvaged. With less than a year before the climax of the PRS process, LDW examines the progress that has been made, the weaknesses discovered and the possibilities for ensuring success come June 2011. I am confident that this report will provide great reading from an independent viewpoint and infuse renewed commitment from relevant authorities reflected in this report to address the customer service gaps through appropriate packaged programs. George Wah WIlliams EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
LDW
Governance Monitoring Report pg. 4
II.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:
In 2005, the Government of Liberia launched its Poverty Reduction Strategy (PRS) tailored to address Liberia post-conflict reconstruction needs. Designed around four critical national platforms: Consolidation and Peace and Security; Economic Revitalization; Governance and Rule of Law Strengthening and the Rehabilitation and improvement of infrastructure and basic services the PRS seeks to employ an integrated approach to national development and recovery. With national recovery a necessity to the consolidation of peace and security, the government of Liberia (GoL) designed the PRS around the primary sectors of society requiring urgent and vital attention. The success of the program primarily rested on the understanding and buy-in of local communities. Far lacking in the implementation of the PRS was, on one hand, the level of coordination between and amongst government institutions and branches, and on the other hand, the level of inadequate public relations from government ( which was atleast spearheaded by GoL). This obvious limitation necessitated a need accentuated by the growing level of discontent, limited knowledge, poor participation, weaning impact of the program and the lack of ownership presented real threats to the implementing PRS program. As a critical partner in Liberia’s recovery process, LDW embarked on a sensitization and awareness project, supported by TrustAfricaHumanity United. The project coded “Enhancing Participatory Democracy Through Dialogue” was aimed at providing regional forum for local communities to dialogue over the unfolding process through which greater understanding and buy-in was generated for the success of the program. The project was designed to generate dialogue around the four pillars of the PRS; as a media for discussion, the peculiarities of each region was tagged against a pillar that seemingly spoke to situations obtaining in those regions. Resounding from the dialogues held around the country, was the need to institute effective and continuous monitoring and evaluation of public policies and programs, as a means to ensuring qualitative success in the implementation process of vital national programs. In follow up to that recommendation and with the possibility of follow on funding available, LDW embarked on this Governance Monitoring Project, funded by the TrustAfrica-Humanity United. As part of the PRS Governance and Rule of Law deliverable, The Civil Service Agency in its Reform Strategy under the PRS, identified improved customer service delivery as one of its targeted reform objectives is engendering improvements in the Sector. With PRS implementation process climaxing in June of 2011, it is crucial to assess the state of this phase of the national reform process and how crucially critical its improvement is to the global Liberian reform and reconstruction agenda under the Governance and Rule of Law Pillar. This project will amongst other objectives seek to assess the impact of the civil service reform process, especially regarding customer service delivery in public sector institutions from the lenses of Customers. The project identifies customer service delivery as a major challenge in public institutions and as such a contributing factor to the state of inefficiencies and ineffectiveness that has necessitated in many measures the imperative for the reform process. In the words of CSA Director General, Dr. C. William Allen, an integral part of the civil service reform process is to ensure improvements in customer service delivery where “the valuing of the public as “customers” and focusing on their needs while strengthening the quality of service and expanding access to all segments of the population becomes paramount to the CSA reform agenda”
LDW
Governance Monitoring Report pg. 5
To effect this initial phase of the project, LDW identified a couple of public sector institutions to monitor: Ministry of Transport, Commerce & Industry, Foreign Affairs, Finance, and Labour. The project seeks to examine the respective mandates of each institution and probed the level of departure from their respective mandates, in regards to customer service delivery. The project primarily examines the effectiveness and efficiency of their customer service programs using the following parameters: the general organization level of customer service activities in the listed entities; level of decentralization; level of consistency; level of public Responsibility; and level of customer service focus. Within the framework of the listed Ministries and agencies, the project selected to commission a set of two efficiency and effectiveness surveys in the most populous counties; Nimba, Bong, Lofa, Margibi, Grand Bassa and Montserrado Counties over a four month period. The surveys were conducted over a two month interval with a community of 32 volunteers in sets of 16 for each survey with each completed fifty (50) questionnaires in the areas mentioned, where interaction with personnel, customers and administrators were conducted. These survey instruments were processed and findings show some startling revelations which should attract the attention of agency heads and reform administrators. Focused on the indicators mentioned supra, most public institutions were found wanting in their service delivery process, low levels of organization, procedural inconsistency; poor pubic responsibility; highly centralized bureaucracies; and a growing generally poor quality of service; It is the mind of the project implementers that the reform administrators will take keen interest in the findings expressed herein and use same to propel improvements in service delivery considering the comparative benefits derived from an improved delivery environment.
LDW
Governance Monitoring Report pg. 6
III.
BACKGROUND:
Emerging from the debris of war, the elections of 2005 ushered in yet a critical opportunity where the government and people of Liberia can embark comprehensively on a journey of national reconstruction, recovery and social renewal after years of devastation. With a view to establishing a stable and secure socio-political environment in Liberia, the PRS is built around four generalized “pillars”: Strengthening Governance and the Rule of Law; Economic Revitalization; Expanding National Peace and Security; and the rehabilitation of social infrastructure and basic service delivery. The PRS, a three year national recovery strategy for moving Liberia beyond the ashes of war, was designed to critically secure an environment for sustained national growth and development, where participatory decision-making is institutionalized and Human Rights are respected. The PRS process was embarked upon by Government with line Ministries and agencies leading the thrust of the process. Led invariably by the Ministry of Planning and Economic Affairs, the PRS over the period of its implementation has had tremendous challenges posed by several critical factors including finance, manpower and other resource incapacities. Exacerbating the challenge are the inadequacies observed in the promulgation for public buy-in of the process. The process was regrettably understood to be a “Monrovia-driven program” with very little done to heighten public understanding and appreciation of the program and its benefits. There was noticeable noncoherence within the executive branch of government in the manner and form the process unfolded. On the other hand, members of other branches of government were seemingly unconscious of their roles, as part of the superstructure of government, to provide support through policies, laws and practical actions that would promote, rather than undermine the national strategy for recovery. Accordingly, Liberia Democracy Watch (LDW), aware that “no progress is possible for any people or nation, except the people are part of very progress being searched for,” embarked on a national campaign to amongst several things provide a platform for participation of all Liberian, draw regional actors attention to regional development dynamics and circumstance within the framework of promoting public understanding and buy-in the participation in the poverty reduction strategy process. Along this line, the partnership of TrustAfrica-Humanity United was solicited and operationalized commencing initially for a year which ended in September 31, 2009 and was branded: “Enhancing National Participatory Democracy through Dialogue”. LDW regionalized its coverage of the country holding and utilized specific pillars for particular regions given their socioeconomic and geo-political make up. Each pillar per region was selected based on the peculiarities of the specific region and the need to focus the reconstruction efforts along those lines. The dialogues brought together various regional stakeholders who deliberated on critical areas for reconstruction; identifying successes and shortcomings as well as proffering suggestive measures aimed at overcoming the shortfalls. Evolving from the dialogues streamed an endless list of qualms from local community residents who accused their leaders of inadequate consultations on issues of development priorities, fiscal mismanagement of earmarked funds, and the politicization of the developmental process by various shades of leaders. Perhaps the most critical of these situations was
LDW
Governance Monitoring Report pg. 7
the plight of not securing budgetary appropriation for effectuating public policy programs within the framework of the PRS. From a review of the PRS performance report over the period of its implementation, it was spelt out that as a consequence of limited supervision structures, inadequate framework for monitoring PRS progress and the limited capacity and role of civil society in the monitoring and evaluation process of the PRS. To this end, the project will capture, as its primary data source, the monthly, quarterly and bi-monthly reports of the targeted line government Ministries and agencies, including the national budget and its outlays to the mentioned sectors to be monitored. With a focus on the Governance and Rule of Law Pillar, LDW will examine contrast budgetary outlays to Civil Service Reform program. For the civil service reform process, LDW will assess public perception about the government’s effectiveness and efficiency over time, relying on the contents of the civil service reform strategy paper developed by the civil service agency to effectuate a more responsive and efficient civil service. To this end, LDW will conduct a series of quarterly specialized surveys (effectiveness surveys) in line ministries and public agencies. These surveys are expected to expose, for corrective actions, the gaps realized in the unfolding CSA reform process, as well as the successes attained. LDW hopes that these reports will provide an impetus to managers of the affected institutions (and those not mentioned in this report) to develop programs aimed at improving their governance and service delivery capacities to the public. IV.
GOAL AND SCOPE:
The goal of the project is to engender a greater sense of customer service delivery in public service understanding that the “Customer� is the most essential partner in the operations of public activities. Increasing the standards of public service workers while improving efficiency in the sector must remain a key priority of government in public sector reform. There have been a number of initiatives over the years to sharpen the focus of public service providers on the needs of the citizen, and to improve the general satisfaction of the public with the services provided to them. This project sets out to ensure that information gathered from the process is useful to the development of public service customer enhancement programs making the sector a more customer friendly environment and by extension expanding public confidence and assurance on the services of the system. To ensure this process, the project implementers have identified six (6) key pillars upon which the assessment is built; Level of organization; level of decentralization; level of public responsibility; level of process and procedural consistency; customer service focus; quality of service. These pillars were applied against selected services offered by a short-list of public institutions. Given the project intent and the context within which the pillars are identified it is important to provide the reader a narration of the understanding that has fed into the assessment: a. Level of Organization: This pillar assesses how operations or the selected activities of identified public institutions are carried. It examines the customer flow and movements across the floors in these institutions and how the level of customer convenience brought about by the ways the processes and procedures are designed to ensure that without much hassle or stress, customers are enable to smoothly flow through a process in a logical and convenient progression.
LDW
Governance Monitoring Report pg. 8
b. Level of Decentralization: By far the most challenging phase of the public sector reform process unfolding in post-conflict Liberia is the high level of centralization in the operations of public institutions. Centralization in immeasurable ways impact on the revenue generation and arguably contributes to the resource draught denying government the much needed revenue simply as a consequence of fatigue by customers. While the Governance Commission (GC) invigorates its decentralization campaign in public service, very little has been done by main stream service providers in public service to spread their activities across the country. Skeptics point to the broken infrastructure that continues to impede the process of decentralization but this has taken a rather slower and expected pace to unfold. c. Process and Procedural Consistencies: Process and procedural consistencies refer to fluidity in public sector practices. The regularity of change in procedures and processes, divorce from routine standardization but which reflects poorly planned, conceived processes instituted to “improve” service delivery but which ends up exacerbating processes and procedures for customers. These are materialized in such things as fee payments, responsible personnel, new “directives from above,” etc. these tend to complicate the enthusiasm of customers who, seek earnestly to give to the state their just dues, but are discouraged by such situations. d. Level of Customer Focus: Not many ministries today can be found that is customer focused. Each succeeding generation of leaders establish their own systems and procedures and many times place greater emphasis more on their authority then those they are recruited to serve, “the Customer.” Where there are complications, customers are resoundingly told “that is what the boss says it should be done.” Little or no attention is placed on customer convenience, happiness and time. Additionally, there are very little options from which customers are positioned to choose from. At given public institutions (including private institutions as well) customers are left standing in endless queues while tellers respond to their numerous phone calls or taking up time to “rest.” The customer is never the primary reason why they are employed: Teachers, civil servants, marketers, etc. are service providers and can learn from this exercise. e. Public Responsibility: Another critical pillar of this assessment is the level of public responsibility; responsibility of the public institutions to their many customers in terms of time and prompt information regarding products or service quality that are germane to customers’ satisfaction and demand. Very little attention is unfortunately paid in this direction with public servants feeling little or no obligation to provide information or guidance to the people they serve. As a pillar of this assessment it is intended to inform the review of the CSA reform program segments dealing with the customer improvement services;
LDW
f. Service Quality: this finally pillar generally summarizes the various pillars explained herein. Service quality by itself is hardly reviewed by administrators and therefore
Governance Monitoring Report pg. 9
customers are left to the poorly neither motivated nor trained employees. Service quality incorporates such things as customers’ reliability to timely service and product deliveries. The assessment seeks to expose how this pillar contributes overall to the public service efficiency and effectiveness. With the parameters of the assessment explained we now examine the selected public service institutions looking at the statutory mandates and a few of the services being examined; Part-I: These are defined from a customer oriented viewpoint and within the framework of key activities with which they are defined in this project: • Ministry of Transportation: directly responsible for all matters directly related to transportation and related matters including the issuance of driver’s license and vehicle license plates; • Ministry of Foreign Affairs: responsible or the supervision of Liberia’s external affairs including the issuance of citizens’ passports, articles of incorporation the provision of foreign service training of potential diplomats. • Ministry of Labor: responsible for providing employment and related services including the settlement of Labor and related disputes, Trade Union affairs and Alien Work Permit issuance; • Ministry of Finance: At the Ministry of Finance, Customs and general Tax payments including debt servicing is a mainstay of its activities. In collaboration with the Central Bank of Liberia, the MoFA carries out daily fiscal management of the Liberian economy; • Ministry of Commerce: the Ministry of Commerce has direct responsibilities for the issuance of business registration, protection of product standards, and Price Control. Within the framework of this phase of the project and in consideration of the goal of the project: to provide an independent assessment of public sector efficiency and effectiveness within the confines of the Civil Service Reform program; to effect identify critical weaknesses with a view to capacitating implementers of important segments of the program for which address is vital. The assessment will equally seek to amplify the gains that have been made over the period of the project implementation, as well as, to motivate framers of the PRS (CS Reform Strategy) on the how and where to deploy more or less resources on the reform program. V.
METHODOLOGY:
LDW’s governance monitoring project utilized mini-surveys to carry out its study. The survey was formulated along a right-based approach framework specifically addressing issues of public service delivery and the right of customers to civil, decent and responsible treatment, appropriate conditions aimed at eradicating, where possible, any stress on the customer, when engaged public entities. Gathering data from the endpoint of customers( users of the services), LDW believes that the perspectives gathered invariably measure very closely to the existing realities and will provide greater insights on the plight of public service delivery sector development program.
LDW 101 0
Governance Monitoring Report pg.
The project was designed to unfold beginning with the recruitment of 32 Volunteers in groups of 16. The volunteers were provided training on the specific requirements of the project and its intent. The training incorporated the testing of the assessment tool and which was developed by a Consultant. The teams of volunteers were deployed over a two-month interval with each team revisiting the areas covered by their colleagues previously. The intent is to provide an objective assessment of the public sector customer service feedback using customers themselves (the end user), to provide an outlook on public service institutions for the purpose of driving the influence for improvements where necessary. LDW’s drive to gather customers’ appreciation from the services provided engenders a better picture of the realities to be addressed. It is from this point of view that the project was designed to feed into the ongoing reform process in the civil service. Each volunteer was provided a set of fifty structured questionnaires with which the assessment was conducted. Deployed for a period of two months in the field each, the volunteers in addition to the questionnaires conducted personal and group interviews at some of the stations. From this exercise, a total to 3200 questionnaires were processed and the results reflect responses as received from the field. The information received was then processed with the following tables and statistics generated: VI.
FINDINGS: STATISTICS AND IMPLICATIONS EVALUATION PARAMETERS ORGANIZATION CUSTOMER FOCUS CONSISTENCY PUBLIC RESPONSIBILITY DECENTRALIZATION SERVICE QUALITY
MoT MoFA MoL MoCI 4 4 8 7 6 7 6 5 6 5 6 6 5 4 7 8 3 1 6 6 5 5 7 6
MoF 6 6 7 6 8 7
Note: These figures represent a weighted scale of 1-10 for the various activities of respective Ministries selected for the report. The Scale categorization is as follows: POOR:(1-3); FAIR: (4-6); GOOD:(7-10)
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Governance Monitoring Report pg.
9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0
MoT MoFA MoL MoCI MoF
The statistics above reflect a total of 3200 respondents who participated in the survey over a period of four months (two months intermittent conduct of the survey exercise).
•
The Ministry of Transportation: EVALUATION PARAMETERS
MoT
ORGANIZATION
4
CUSTOMER FOCUS
6
CONSISTENCY
6
PUBLIC RESPONSIBILITY
5
DECENTRALIZATION
3
SERVICE QUALITY
5
The data processed shows that the general level of organization (the layout of the service processing department, their proximity and smoothness in the flow of business is wanting. Customers are burdened with the trying to identify which room to enter and who to see. Though the services of the Ministry are specific, there are very little convenient options available to customers in term of service processes and procedures for their convenience. At the Ministry there is an appreciable level of consistency (6) in terms of processes and procedures. The survey shows that there is not a significant shift in process and procedures so far. In term of public responsibility, the Ministry lags behind seriously. There is very little attention paid to informing the public in a timely and responsible
LDW 121 2
Governance Monitoring Report pg.
manner. Most
LDW 131 3
Governance Monitoring Report pg.
respondents pointed to the situation regarding the license plate situations which nearly reached protest scale, before the Ministry went public to inform the public that they were experiencing a problem with the arrangement with ECOBANK and other actors connected to the process. In term of decentralization of the Ministry’s activities across Liberia, there is very little presence in other major parts of the country. Customers seeking vehicle registration are constrained to travel to Monrovia to legally process same. The quality of service in terms of product and contents is rated fair. According to respondents, besides the driver’s license is a far cry away from what obtained previously, the quality of the product (vehicle license) leaves a lot to be desired. Respondents maintain that the plates when issued are evidently repainted with numbers written over numbers. Other respondents lamented over the Ministry’s choice of colors for some plates especially the business plates which they claim are more appropriate for taxis (yellow). The Recommendation(s): This report recommends the following actions for the authorities of the Ministry’s consideration to improve its customer service delivery: o That the Ministry endeavors to review for improvement in its customer flow during the conduct of business; o Work to speed up the decentralization of its activities perhaps regionalizing same in the short-term; o That programs are developed to ensure adequate public education and the dissemination of critical public information in a timely and responsive manner to enhance confidence and reliability with customers; An example would be to increase the capacity of public relations arms of line public ministries to effectively and in a timely manner informed the public on matters arising internal . o More importantly, that commitment by top management is made, firstly to ensure that service and product quality controls and that continuous service assessment is carried out to assist in the development of enhancement programs for the entity. •
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs: EVALUATION PARAMETERS MoFA
LDW 141 4
ORGANIZATION
4
CUSTOMER FOCUS
7
CONSISTENCY
5
PUBLIC RESPONSIBILITY
4
DECENTRALIZATION
1
SERVICE QUALITY
5
Governance Monitoring Report pg.
The survey shows that the level of organization at the Ministry in term of customer flow for business is less structured. The survey records respondents speaking of improper layout of customer service oriented divisions at the Ministry which should curtail The need to climb various floors, undergo different levels of security checks and observance of particular dress codes (a situation exacerbated by the presence of the Executive Mansion) contribute in large to the complexities customers must undergo to carry out business at that Ministry. According to the findings, respondents prefer a set of organized procedures structured conveniently to ease access to various service departments: Article of Incorporation processing, Passports and Archive within proximity and not sparse out as is currently. More critical is the passport processing flow. Respondents clearly advance the need for greater reform in the procedures stating that as a consequence of the poor organization in the process and procedures for obtaining passports, there are unusually huge queues in the hall which is also used to access other parts of the building. Respondents contend that the presence of a copier at the back of the hall is most unprofessional and that within the framework of the fees charge all such requirements should be carried out internally. Additionally, respondents further maintain that in most instances, there were not clearly stated requirements for which customers are obliged to meet in advance of the submission process, most information about the process prior to visiting the Ministry is by hearsay. The level of customer focus at the Ministry is appreciably good. Most personnel take up time or better still, volunteer to help confused customers. In fact it is common place in many public offices where staffers provide guidance to bewildered customer, often time with expectations of course. This action is however a plus as customers often leave relying on the generosity of the personnel to assist (and who often delivers as well), reducing the stress and strain of the process. In this regard, the Ministry is institutionally found to be in good standing with the respondents. The survey recorded a fair level of consistency in the fees paid by various customers for the processing of Article of incorporation, for many, it seems arbitrary and dependent upon the processor and his mode. Public Responsibility is rated poor by most respondents. There is very little information provided the public as in the case of the mis-printed new passports and the temporary break down in passport processing equipment which impacted negatively on the issuance process. Until press to the wall by angry public the Ministry refused to provide the information in a timely and pro-active manner. The report shows that the level of decentralization at the Ministry is virtually non- existent. Just about every service provided by the Ministry is accessed from its offices on Capitol Hill. The quality of service (including product) of the Ministry is generally rated by respondents as fair. Inferring from the reports, this rating is influenced by the reaction on the problems associated with the printing of the new passports. Respondents expressed disappointment that at Accra Airport and other ports around the world, the authenticity of the books were questioned as not bio-metric as the public was made to believe. The passports failed to “swap� in any machine.
LDW 151 5
Governance Monitoring Report pg.
RECOMMENDATIONS: o There is need for authorities of the Ministry to review the organization of offices and service delivery departments for the convenience of customers; o Though rated good in this survey, a more institutionalized customer focused programs need to be initiated; o The level of consistency in processes and procedures must be reviewed for standardization; o Authorities must put in place responsive public relations programs to address customer needs in a timely and coordinated manner; o Working with local county officials or other relevant structures (Ministry of Internal Affairs) there has to be ways by which regional or county level offices can be erected to service customers residing outside Montserrado County. o There is a critical need for quality control department or desk to ensure that customers perceptions are gathered and feeds into decision making on products or services at the Ministry, this will enhance service delivery and product package greatly. •
The Ministry of Labour: EVALUATION PARAMETERS
MoL
ORGANIZATION
8
CUSTOMER FOCUS
6
CONSISTENCY
6
PUBLIC RESPONSIBILITY
7
DECENTRALIZATION
6
SERVICE QUALITY
7
The reports shows that the Ministry of Labour is by far better organized in term of process flows than most Ministries in this report. The walls of the Ministry are replete with information on processes and procedure for customer guidance. Though the signs are not large enough for to catch attention, it is accessible to even physically challenged members of society. According to respondents, the MoL has organized all service providing divisions within proximity of each other giving easy access to customers, and is thereby rated fair. Though there is a recorded low in the customers rating for Alien Work Permits, according to the reports, the divisions of Standards and Trade Union Affairs have immeasurably contributed to the reduction in Labour disputes and related situations. The level of consistency in term of processes and procedures is rated fairly given that not much was reported in terms of variations and changes. Public responsibility at the Ministry as also rated good as several public relations programs abound to provide critical information to
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Governance Monitoring Report pg.
customers regarding programs at the Ministry in a timely and responsive manner, as well as, the institution of programs for the convenience of customers. Decentralization of the Ministry’s activities has been ongoing for years and this is recorded in the survey as Fair. The Ministry’s program of decentralization is not spread out throughout the country though there are County level Labour Commissioners. However, despite the relatively decentralized activities of Labour standards and Trade Union Affairs, Alien work permit issuance is still very much centralized. This situation, according to the findings rates the decentralization program of the Ministry activities fair. RECOMMENDATION(S) o Design programs to further strengthening its customer focus activities; o Seek to standardizing various processes and procedures for the convenience of customers; o Endeavor to scale up its public responsibility programs incorporating more aggressive programming( policies and programs ) for public education; 1 o Seek to incorporate and or consolidate Alien Work Permit and residence permit processing in existing regional and county level structures to the greater convenience of customers; o Constitute a Customer Service evaluation scheme to assess, on regular basis, perceptions and appreciations of service delivery for continuous improvement.
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The Ministry of Commerce & industry:
EVALUATION PARAMETERS
MoCI
ORGANIZATION
7
CUSTOMER FOCUS
5
CONSISTENCY
6
PUBLIC RESPONSIBILITY
8
DECENTRALIZATION
6
SERVICE QUALITY
6
The Ministry of Commerce was recorded in the survey to have put a lot in place organizationally. According to respondents, unlike before, much is achievable within a relatively shorter time frame then before. Respondents assert that business registration has taken a faster pace than the usual. Respondents rate the customer focus of the Ministry as 1
The Bureau of Immigration and Naturalization (BIN) making it easier for customer acquisition, since both permits are technically align with the other.
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Governance Monitoring Report pg.
fair given several against several considerations including the layout of service providing departments (divisions) and the access to these. Respondents however frown of the procedure of travelling between the Ministry of Finance and Central Bank in the process of making payments for business registration. Respondents through the survey, declare that the Ministry is working poorly at policing or monitoring more precisely product quality imported into the country. Customers lost of confidence in the MoCI’s capacity to monitor quality and control ensuring protection for public interest is rated poorly. This single aspect has impacted on other activities of the Ministry to bring its customer focused rating to Fair. Not every department of the Ministry of easily accessible to the various spectrums of the Ministry’s activities. The level of consistency is processes and procedures are recorded as near good (fair). From respondents information processed, there is not much variation in processes and procedures over the period of the survey (March – July 2010) and are rated as Fair. The Ministry is rated “Good” in terms of public responsibility by respondents. Respondents point to timely press conferences, proactive stance against unscrupulous merchants, and vigilance on price control (as MoCI clearly is inadequate). However, respondents believe that despite the growing international price control challenges, local authorities have done remarkably well to maintain a level of price stability especially for major commodities; The level of decentralization of the Ministry’s activities are recorded as fair, respondents limit the MoCI’s presence most countries but laments that al documentation are transmitted to Monrovia for processing before by traveling County Inspectors who waits in Monrovia over the period of time it takes to get the documents signed before returning to the county of assignment. Rate fairly, the centralized nature of most services of the Ministry. Service quality to rated fairly as well. RECOMMENDATION(S): o The ministry will do well to place greater emphasis on policy standards of consumer goods, especially regarding imports; o Strengthen the authority of regional Inspectors to exercise powers adequate to expediting the processing and various business registration processes; o Improvements in outstation documentation processing will go a long way in enhancing confidence and reliability in regional or county level stations and authority.
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Governance Monitoring Report pg.
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The Ministry of Finance: EVALUATION PARAMETERS
MoF
ORGANIZATION
6
CUSTOMER FOCUS
6
CONSISTENCY
7
PUBLIC RESPONSIBILTY
6
DECENTRALIZATION
8
SERVICE QUALITY
7
The survey reveals that a fair rating for organization of business at the Ministry of Finance. Considering the level of customer traffic daily at the Ministry, there are no noticeable queues as seen in other agencies. Service departments, according to respondents, provide for smooth flow of business and the speedy execution of tasks. Though according to the survey, labels and signs are not as visible for first time customers, navigating ones way is relatively non-burdensome except for physically challenged customers. The challenge of authenticating what is official and unofficial receipt is a problem for most customers as a lot of cartels exist especially in the revenue section of the Ministry. Though according to the research findings the current administration has done a lot to remedy such situations, they do persist. The level of consistency recorded at the Ministry is recorded as good. Processes and procedures are very well in place. New operational guidelines have also been set and which do not alter significantly existing procedures and processes. The Ministry is rated fair in its public responsibility rating. According to respondents the level of decentralization of the Ministry is generally good with tax collections points spread across the country, though the payment of Liabilities by government is highly centralized. Respondents generally rate service quality as good at the Ministry in the wake of the new arrangements at the local banks reducing the timeless hours taken previously to get a salary check encashed. RECOMMENDATIONS: o The Ministry will need to pay attention to the layout or organization of business and the smoothness and ease of flow for customers; o The Ministry must make efforts to strengthen its customer focus to provide more convenient options for customers, in terms of processes and procedures and are responsive for the convenience of customers; o Public responsibility ought to be heightened in a sustained and innovative manners;
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VIII.
WORKSHOPS/ROUNDTABLES:
The first two roundtables in the series of four follow up roundtables were held on July 28 and 30, 2010 with each recording some 20 participants representing targeted public institutions were present. At that first workshop which was more of the findings sharing exercise that examined findings from the MoT, MoL, MoFA was held to absorb the findings for those entities from the survey. At the roundtables, participants were very scrutinous of the findings and thought, in general, that they reflected the state of affairs at those institutions and that in consideration of the practicality of the findings same could be used as a good basis for further informing the reform process at the respective institutions and as a major area of focus for the Civil Service Agency reform program at the level of the customer relations and focus. The second roundtable brought together the same number of participants and centered on findings from the MoF and that of the MoCI. At roundtable, participants reviewed the information provided and congratulated the LDW for its initiative as the information would provide a great picture of the plight of customers generally in Liberia. They averred that the information when distributed to the mentioned institutions would contribute to enhancing the service delivery and quality to customers in the future. Participants generally made the following recommendations which they maintain will immeasurably contribute to the strengthening of customer service delivery in Liberia’s civil service and provide a reference for change as the reform process unfolds: •
•
•
Recognizing that customer service delivery in public sector has recorded an immeasurable downturn, It is recommended that desks be set up in every institution to continually evaluated customer service delivery. It is recommended that said function be vested in the HR departments; It is further recommended that a centralized scheme, led by the Civil Service agency be developed to institute a service monitoring and evaluation program, so as to ensure the viability, objectivity and operationalization of the service excellence program. That resources be identified through budgetary and other means to effectuate evaluation capacities of public institutions;
•
It is additionally further recommended that the information obtained through the process be used for: internal ministerial customer service decision-making regarding promotions, emoluments, staff awards etc. on the larger scheme of things, the information can be used to provide a for the development of a wider skills orientation program intended to improve service delivery and advance the public’s outlook on public sector service delivery.
•
That
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public
institutions
with
responsibilities
across
the
country
strategically
Governance Monitoring Report pg.
approach decentralization, initially from the regional standpoint. This will remarkably reduce the
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traffic in central offices, time of travel and enhance greater institutionalization of the entities around the country. •
•
Efforts are made to synchronize processes and procedures of respective public institutions which overlap for the convenience of the customer, as in the case of work & residence permit; government payments at finance which can be carried out at line Ministry’s or working through a common banking network; An inter-ministerial working group can undertake the details of the synchronization process of common processes and procedures. That effort is made by public institutions to standardize customer service delivery through the development of customer service procedures standards that are monitorable and for which civil servants are accountable.
PROJECT SUCCESSES AND CONSTRAINTS: •
Successes: The success of the phase of the project is reflected in the level of information gather and which is crucial to the success of the CSA reform strategy for public service. LDW believed that the information gather will immeasurably provide the CSA with ample basis for developing various excellence programs for public sectors service delivery improvements and the months ahead.
•
LDW gathered the necessary data from relevant entities which were targeted for the project; the sample impressions generated from the targeted public institutions in this report provide a generalized picture of customer service challenges in public sector.
•
Constraints: LDW records very few constraints experienced in the course of this phase of the workshop other than the fact that as activities of the project started to unfold, the depth of the investigation (survey), it was important to allow ample time for the conduct of the survey process so as to gather adequate and broad based data that draw a clear picture of the state of service delivery in public sector.
CONCLUSION: As Liberia gears up for the final lap (June 2011) of the PRS, all public institutions are required under the PRS to meet given deadlines with pre-determined deliverables are to ensure that those targets are met by the date. Accordingly, LDW has embarked, through this project, on assessing the progress of the CSA reform program as contained in the CSA Reform Strategy, specifically regarding the level of customer service reform and improvement that has ben carried out and the results of same. Listed as one of many major reform deliverables to be met by the entity, this report will provide reform support efforts with a good assessment of
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the state of customer service reform efforts, importantly from the lenses of customers themselves. Unless service delivery is satisfactory from the perspective of the customer, it is unlikely that programs aimed at enhancing service delivery will yield very little results as all such programs depend in large on customers’ participation and their contribution in developing a responsive package. The institutionalization of a regular assessment program in this regard provides managers, policymakers, and decision-makers with information regarding whether targeted customer service goals are met and why. If the customer service reform process must realize the goals set out in the Civil Service Reform Strategy postulated under the grander scheme of the PRS, then much needs to be done to invigorate the process of tackling customer service delivery in Liberia’s public sector. LDW is gratified by the findings obtained from this process as the information will enhance Its contributions to Liberia’s reform process, especially in the critical public governance arena. Through this process, public sectors managers are equipped with perspectives, from an independent viewpoint with which they can work with in developing capacity building programs to mitigate the evident weaknesses in public sector service delivery. These findings accentuate the imperatives for action and LDW believes that conscious effort must be made by public sector managers to institute routine service delivery assessments as a means to strengthening service delivery, reducing public waste and informing performance measurement. LDW suggests herewith that findings from periodic assessments be used as an integral part of the performance auditing and review process and as a basis for considering workers’ incentives including salaries, promotions, awards etc. 2 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT: LDW acknowledges all interviewees, volunteers, participants whose integral participation in this exercise contributed to the success scored. Special mention is hereby made to the TrustAfrica and Humanity United for their support to this exercise and the continuing partnership in Liberia’s recovery process.
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Appendixes: LIST OF VOLUNTEERS THAT PARTICIPATED IN THE FIST ROUND OF DATA COLLECTION (MAR-MAY 2010). NAME 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16.
Josephus Mulbah Sophie Konneh Hezekiah Dunah Constance Jacobs Cassius Boimah John Kollie Agnes Acquoi Joseph Kabah Arthur Karnga Umaru Fofana Jallah Korvah Cecil Kpangbai Semah Jallah Selena Mezohn Joseph Bartuah James Dolo
LOCATION (county)ASSIGNED Bong Bong Grand Bassa Grand Bassa Grand Bassa Lofa Lofa Margibi Margibi Montserrado Montserrado Montserrado Montserrado Montserrado Nimba Nimba
LIST OF VOLUNTEERS THAT PARTICIPATED IN THE FIST ROUND OF DATA COLLECTION(JUN-JUL 2010).
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16.
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NAME Clara Jones Patrick O. Dweh Joseph Pailey Rufus Baysah Demster Rebecca Smith Gloria Karnga James Gayflorzee Priscilla Massaquoi Saywah Gblien Morris Carter Edwin Gbozimah Saydee Matthews Deborah Karbakollie Hettie Hayes Calvin Hoffman Douglas Marshall
LOCATION (county)ASSIGNED Bong Bong Bong Grand Bassa Grand Bassa Grand Bassa Lofa Lofa Margibi Margibi Montserrado Montserrado Montserrado Montserrado Nimba Nimba
Governance Monitoring Report pg.
SURVEY INSTRUMENT
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AWARENESS RAISING MATERIALS (
N)
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Governance Monitoring Report pg.
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Governance Monitoring Report pg.
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Governance Monit ori ng Report pg.
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