The Head of the Civil Service, Dr Evans Aggrey-Darkoh, has called for greater attention to staff wellbeing, teamwork and discipline as part of efforts to improve performance across the public sector.

He said activities that promote healthy living, interaction and teamwork can help reduce workplace pressure and strengthen cooperation among public servants.

Dr Aggrey-Darkoh made the call at the end of a cooking competition and health fair organised for staff of various ministries as part of activities marking Civil Service Week.

The annual service-wide programme is coordinated by the Office of the Head of the Civil Service and involves ministries and departments across the country.

This year’s celebration is on the theme: “The Resetting Agenda for Sustainable Development in Ghana: The Civil Service’s Responsibilities.”

Dr Aggrey-Darkoh said the activities provided an opportunity for staff to relax, interact and work together outside their usual office environment.

“From time to time we need to organise things like these. People are under pressure. Today I saw people dancing, networking, and working as a team. That spirit is what we need to drive the Service forward,” he said.

He urged staff to apply the same spirit of discipline, teamwork and effective time management to their daily responsibilities.

“Management of time is also an indicator of how developed a country is. Let’s manage our time very well,” he stated.

Dr Aggrey-Darkoh also stressed the importance of healthy living, noting that hygiene and food quality were key considerations in the cooking competition.

“You are as good as what you eat,” he said.

“If the food environment is not hygienic, you are literally taking poison. We must be conscious about what we consume both at work and at home,” he added.

He said the activities formed part of efforts to support the government’s reset agenda and build a public service that is more productive, resilient and enterprising.

“It should not be said that when we were in charge, we did not deliver. We need everyone on board to achieve the targets we have set for ourselves,” he said.

In the cooking competition, Team Two, comprising the Ministry of Sports and Recreation and the Ministry of Youth Development and Empowerment, emerged winners with Tuo Zaafi and Ayoyo soup.

Team One, made up of the Ministry of Works and Housing and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, placed second with the same dish.

Team 10, representing the Ministry of Finance and the Department of Social Welfare, placed third with mashed plantain, locally known as 3to.

Activities for the week-long celebration included a policy fair and exhibition, cooking competition, health screening, clean-up exercise, sporting activities and an awards ceremony.