The Ministry of Fisheries and Aquaculture Development (MoFAD) is undergoing a rigorous diagnostic exercise led by a high-level delegation from the Office of the Head of the Civil Service (OHCS), signaling the start of a more aggressive approach to institutional optimization.
This familiarization tour, by the Civil Service Council, is a direct response to the requirements of the national “Reset Agenda,” which demands a public sector that is as agile and results-oriented as the private sector it regulates.
For MoFAD, the visit was less of a courtesy call and more of a strategic alignment session, designed to ensure that the management of Ghana’s aquatic resources is backed by an administrative culture of accountability and innovation.
“The OHCS has intensified efforts to boost public sector performance with a familiarisation tour of key government institutions, including the Ministry of Fisheries and Aquaculture. The visit is part of a broader initiative to assess institutional operations, strengthen staff engagement, and improve service delivery across the Civil Service”
Ministry of Fisheries and Aquaculture Development
The delegation, which included the Chairman of the Civil Service Council and the Head of the Civil Service, sought to peel back the layers of daily ministerial operations to understand the human capital challenges that often impede service delivery by engaging directly with the leadership and staff of MoFAD.
The Council is attempting to bridge the gap between high-level policy directives and the actual execution at the desk level. This commitment to performance-led governance underscores that the government is no longer satisfied with the mere existence of ministerial structures; it is now demanding a measurable return on the institutional investment.
A central theme of the engagement was the radical idea that institutional efficiency is a product of psychological orientation rather than just fiscal allocation. Lawrence Kannae, the Chairman of the Civil Service Council, delivered a candid assessment of the current state of public service, arguing that the most significant barriers to excellence are often internal.
He challenged the long-held notion that a lack of resources is the primary excuse for poor service delivery, instead pointing toward the fundamental mindset of the civil servant as the true engine of reform. He emphasized the need for “continuous performance assessment, urging staff to build on strengths while adopting innovative solutions to address operational gaps.”
An Operational Directive
Supporting this call for a mindset shift, the Head of the Civil Service, Evans Aggrey-Darkoh, reinforced the need for systemic changes that prioritize merit and accountability. His contribution to the dialogue centered on the “Reset Agenda,” which envisions a public sector that serves as a facilitator for national growth rather than a bottleneck.
Mr. Aggrey-Darkoh’s vision for the Civil Service is one rooted in the ownership of quality; he urged public servants to see themselves as stakeholders in the national development priority list rather than mere observers of government policy.
By institutionalizing meritocracy, the OHCS aims to dismantle the business-as-usual approach that has historically plagued government institutions. In the context of the Ministry of Fisheries, this means that promotions, resource allocation, and project leadership must be dictated by performance data and results.
According to MoFAD, the interactive session allowed for a transparent exchange of ideas, where staff were encouraged to propose their own solutions to operational gaps. The bottom-up approach to problem-solving was intended to build a more responsive and efficient Ministry that can adapt to the rapid changes in the global fisheries market and domestic aquaculture needs.
The visit also featured a detailed presentation on MoFAD’s current operations, which provided the Council with a baseline for future assessments. This data-driven approach was essential for identifying where the Ministry is excelling and where it is falling behind its targets.
The government’s reset agenda requires that every government institution, including those managing niche sectors like aquaculture, demonstrate how its activities contribute to the broader goals of economic resilience and fiscal discipline.
The Minister for Fisheries and Aquaculture, Hon. Emelia Arthur, was tasked with ensuring that her ministry is not just a regulatory body, but a proactive driver of the “Blue Economy.”
The collaborative spirit of the visit suggests a new era of inter-institutional cooperation. Rather than working in silos, the OHCS and MoFAD are creating a feedback loop that allows for the continuous refinement of governance systems.
This tour is only the beginning of a nationwide reform program that will see the Civil Service Council visiting various government institutions to ensure that the standards of professionalism and accountability are being upheld across the board.
For the staff at MoFAD, the takeaway was a renewed sense of national service and an understanding that their individual performance is the bedrock upon which the success of the fisheries sector – and the wider economy – will be built.
As the Civil Service Council continues its tour of government institutions, the focus remains on transforming the Civil Service into a “results-oriented machine.” For Hon. Emelia Arthur and her team at the Ministry of Fisheries, the challenge now is to translate the Council’s directives into daily operational habits.
For the OHCS, if MoFAD can successfully adopt this performance-led culture, it will not only meet its sectoral targets but also serve as a beacon for the rest of the Ghanaian Civil Service in the pursuit of national transformation.
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