The Ghana Scholarships Secretariat and the Office of the Head of Civil Service (OHCS) , have signed a Memorandum of Understanding which will help enhance the capacity of Civil Servants.

The agreement, a strategic directive forms part of efforts by government to strengthen institutions in Ghana.

Signing the agreement on Tuesday on behalf of the Scholarships Secretariat, the Registrar, Mr Kingsley Agyemang said the Secretariat signed the Memorandum of Understanding to enhance the knowledge and skills of government workers.

He added that as the supplier of the Human Resource requirement of the government agencies, it is important that the Office of the Head of Civil Service conducts its duties in the most professional manner, especially taking into consideration the role of Continuous Professional Development (CPD) to every organization.

Strong institutions

Addressing the media after the signing ceremony, Mr Agyemang disclosed that the agreement will ensure that qualified staff of the Service are sponsored to pursue Diplomas, Bachelors, Masters and PhD programmes in accredited tertiary institutions, both public and private.

“Government believes this training is very important because as part of efforts to make our institutions stronger, we cannot forget the people. i.e. the human resource aspect. It is therefore important that we put in place measures to help build on their capacities,” he said.

Mr Agyemang said once these civil servants are upgraded academically; it can go a long way to boost their confidence and help in productivity as well.

OHCS

Head of the Civil Service, Nana Kwasi Agyekum Dwamena, for his part, said the development of any country lies mostly on its public and civil servants.

“A lot is changing in this world as such, we are bound to encounter a lot of challenges. So I find this collaboration very important because it will help us address these challenges.

Mr. Dwamena again the Vice President, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia for accepting the proposal when it was presented to him.

He urged all civil servants to apply when the call for applications is announced and assured that the process will be transparent.

Mode of programme

The programme, which is expected to take off next year, will offer scholarships to about 100 Civil Servants annually.

Beneficiaries will be made to serve a bond for a minimum of two years after benefiting from the scholarship before being eligible to exit the service.

The Head of the Civil Service is also expected to undertake periodic monitoring of the programme in line with established guidelines on studies.