Zimbabwe Vice President Constantino Chiwenga said on Monday that a robust and responsive civil service is a crucial cog in the journey towards attainment of the ideals of the African Union’s Agenda 2063.
Officially opening the 8th annual Africa Public Service Day (APSD) Conference taking place in Victoria Falls resort town, Chiwenga said the success of the AU ideal of the “Africa We Want” depended on a competent civil service across the continent.
“We should be our own champions and strive to improve the lives of our people,” Chiwenga said.
This year’s APSD celebrations are being held under the theme: “Building the Africa We Want through embracing an ethical culture that underpins purpose driven leadership in the context of a crisis”.
The AU Agenda 2063 aspires for a united and prosperous Africa that will be one of the main global players by the year 2063.
The conference is being attended by ministers responsible for labour, public and civil service affairs in the 55 AU member states.
At nine countries are physically represented at the conference, with the rest following proceedings virtually in compliance with COVID-19 containment measures.
The ministers are discussing the state of public service on the continent, governance issues, best practices and innovative ways on how to improve the effectiveness of the public service, amidst the COVID-19 pandemic.
The APSD programme is also being observed in various countries as a week-long programme from 21-25 June, consisting of various activities.
JN/APA