Re-engineering and Modernising Civil Service Training for Effective Service Delivery in Zimbabwe Based on a Study Sponsored by the African Capacity Building Foundation (ACBF)

The new dispensation which came to power in 2017 ushered in a new era that demands effective service delivery in Zimbabwe. This paper contends that poor service delivery in Zimbabwe is related to deficiencies in civil service competencies. Most senior public service leaders and managers have limited leadership and management capacity, which is critical for effective service delivery, modernisation and national development. This paper first gives the background to public sector management in Africa in general and Zimbabwe in particular. It then outlines the challenges the public sector faces in the context of Zimbabwe. Inadequate civil service training is identified as one of the major barriers to modernised public sector management. Considering these weaknesses, the paper calls for the re-engineering and modernisation of the public service through public sector management training based on recommendations of a study sponsored by the African Capacity Building Foundation (ACBF) in 2003. The paper also recommends that the modalities of the training programme should be modelled after the Civil Service College of Singapore. The paper was conceptualised through the lens of the New Public Management paradigm.