‘Civil service crucial for Vision 2030’
THE Civil Service has an important role to play towards the attainment of the country’s Vision 2030 as enunciated by President Mnangagwa, Civil Service Commission chairman Dr Vincent Hungwe, has said.
Dr Hungwe said this in a speech read on his behalf by Commissioner Ozias Hove at the 4th annual Customer Engagement Summit organised by the Chartered Institute of Customer Relations Management (CICRM) in Harare recently.
Since assuming office in November last year, President Mnangagwa has emphasised the need to change the work ethic in the public service that many service consumers have previously bemoaned to be a poor public relations effort for the country.
Speaking at the customer engagement summit which was attended by various stakeholders in the service provision industry, the Civil Service Commission boss said service delivery will be key towards the attainment of upper middle-income status economy by 2030.
“It goes without saying that customer engagement is no longer a preserve of the private sector but also touches on the very fabric of service delivery in the public sector,” said Dr Hungwe.
“His Excellency the President’s ‘Zimbabwe is open for business’ rallying call entails the deepening of engagement and re-engagement with both national and international partners in a bid to transform the country.
“Vision 2030 . . . demands that the Public Service Commission plays a critical role in creating an empowered, dynamic and innovative system of public administration that is capable of delivering a sustainable and inclusive middle-income society by 2030,” he said.
Speaking at the same event, CICRM executive director Dr Mthokozisi Nkosi said service consumers, particularly at a time Zimbabwe is on a drive to lure foreign investors need to be treated in a respectful manner so as to have confidence in doing business in the economy.
“The increasing need for customers to feel special, respected, valued and welcome each time they interact with a brand is forcing private and public institutions to revisit their customer engagement strategies,” said Dr Nkosi.
“Governments and Local authorities, who are key enablers in stimulating economic activity, should fast realise the importance of quality service delivery,” he said.
In his inauguration speech in November last year, President Mnangagwa underlined the need for a shift in the civil service delivery system.
“We have an economy to recover, a people to serve . . . our offices must speedily answer questions and generate solutions awaited by our customers, be they our citizens or well-meaning outsiders who want to join in the recovery of our economy,” said the President in his inaugural speech.