Charles Lwanga Puozuing, the Upper West Regional Minister, has urged civil servants, particularly Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assembly (MMDA) staff, to demonstrate discipline, diligence and regular attendance at work to improve public service delivery.

He said commitment to work, including regular attendance, was essential to ensuring the effective delivery of government services for the benefit of the populace.

Mr Puozuing made the call during a working visit to the Sissala East Municipal Assembly in Tumu, where he met heads of departments and staff to assess ongoing government programmes, monitor development interventions and strengthen service delivery across the municipality.

He urged heads of departments to restore discipline in their respective offices by ensuring regular staff attendance to improve the quality of services rendered to the public.

The Regional Minister reminded public servants that they were employed to serve the people, not themselves, stressing that they would be remembered for the positive impact they made on citizens’ lives rather than the positions they occupied.

Mr Puozuing expressed concern over absenteeism among some public officers, saying it deprived citizens of essential government services, sometimes after they had travelled long distances to access them.

He also called on heads of departments to provide honest and professional advice to political leaders and work closely with the Municipal Chief Executive to promote transparency, accountability and the effective implementation of development programmes.

The Regional Minister encouraged the Assembly to “turn its challenges into targets for the coming years” and strive to overcome them through discipline, accountability and innovation, which he described as critical to achieving the government’s development objectives.

He further directed heads of departments to channel their key operational challenges through the Municipal Chief Executive to the Regional Coordinating Council (RCC) for the necessary support and intervention.

The meeting also provided an opportunity for departmental heads to discuss challenges affecting service delivery and reinforce collaboration between the RCC and the Sissala East Municipal Assembly to improve institutional performance and development outcomes.

Pognaa Fati Issaka Koray, the Upper West Regional Coordinating Director, who accompanied the Regional Minister along with heads of departments from the RCC, engaged the Assembly’s management on key development priorities.

During the meeting, Mr Adamu Bening Yakubu, the Sissala East Municipal Chief Executive, outlined major projects being implemented in collaboration with the Member of Parliament in the areas of education, healthcare, road infrastructure, water supply and sanitation.

The Assembly also presented its priority projects captured in its Annual Action Plan, highlighting strategic interventions aimed at accelerating socio-economic development in the municipality.