A report by the thematic working group in charge of evaluating the National Plan for Administrative Reform (2018-2021), mandated by Parliament, highlights several dysfunctions and shortcomings within the public administration. Despite the reforms undertaken in recent years, the administration continues to face major problems such as the blocking of investments and resistance to efforts to fight corruption.
Thus, the report, which will be presented in plenary tomorrow, Tuesday, July 18, examines five key issues related to the national plan for administrative reform. It reveals that the distribution of employees between the different entities of the country is very unequal, with excessive concentration in certain regions, which affects the quality of administrative services offered to citizens.
The traditional civil service system is also criticized for its lack of application of the principles of competence, merit and equal opportunity to access the civil service. Many employees see their employment in the administration as a means of obtaining a fixed salary, without worrying about their performance or productivity, which harms the overall performance of the administration and the relationship with the citizens.
The report also highlights a salary gap between public administration employees and the lack of incentives to motivate them, which negatively affects the modernization and improvement of the administration’s performance.
The link between administration and investment is also a matter of concern, with delays in the processing of investment files, a lack of responsiveness to questions and complaints from investors, as well as excessive complexity of administrative procedures which hamper investments.
Regarding the fight against corruption, the report denounces the ineffectiveness of the measures put in place, in particular with regard to access to information, the simplification of procedures and the prevention of conflicts of interest.
According to the report, the National Administration Reform Plan also suffers from differences in priorities and a lack of a participatory approach during its development. Some institutions and governance bodies have not been sufficiently involved, and the coronavirus pandemic has complicated the implementation of the plan, without a forward-looking risk management approach being put in place, underlines the same source.
The report also criticizes the lack of attention paid to the simplification of laws and the qualification and continuous training of employees. It also underlines the lack of specific budgetary allocation for the implementation of the projects of the plan, as well as the lack of transparency in the use of the allocated credits.
Finally, the report notes the absence of a comprehensive database of civil servants in the public administration, which complicates personnel management, and notes that the administrative reform sector has not benefited from financial post allocations in recent years.